The Light of Life
by Marsfish
Summary: Lucy is a timid girl in high school, she's abused and lacks trust; therefore, she keeps people at a distance. When the school's Prince takes an interest in her, her life is turned upside down, and she can only hang on for the ride.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

A girl with blonde hair and brown eyes waded through the crowd of the hallway, tightly clutching her schoolbag as she dodged the marriage of students. She hugged her school jacket closer to herself as a group of boys wolf whistled. She was at first, startled that they were whistling at her, but then she noticed the small group of beautiful girls directly in front of her, giggling and side glancing the boys. A sudden rush of disappointment hit her, was she not pretty enough to be wolf whistled at? Wait, no, why would she even want that? That's degrading and disgusting! She should be happy that she remained invisible to the whole school, girls and boys alike. That's right, she was always invisible. She had never talked to anyone in the entire school. Right now was the middle of junior year, and not once has she opened her mouth to talk to someone. Not even the teachers called her name in class. Honestly, she could get away with not even being there, but she wanted to be a writer someday, so she supposed she had to come here. She didn't talk much, but she wrote a lot. Her novel in progress was safely tucked inside her schoolbag, which she would write in at lunch to pass the time. As she started thinking of ideas for her novel, she didn't realize where she was walking, until she hit something soft but hard. A squeek left her lips as she felt herself fall, but a strong hand gripped her arm as an arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her into a toned chest with an 'oomph'.

"Whoa there, you okay?"

She peeked up at her Savior, and she froze when she noticed just whose arms she was in. Natsu Dragneel, the hottest, kindness, and most endearing boy in the whole school. She opened her mouth to reply, but no words came out. He looked at her weirdly before the hand holding her arm shot up to touch her cheek with the backs of his fingers.

"You didn't hurt yourself did you?"

His concerned eyes made her cheeks heat up, and she realized that he still had his arm wrapped around her. She started internally freaking out, and before she could stop herself, she slapped his cheek, hard. "Let go of me!"

He released her instantly and put his hand against the red spot on his cheek. He watched her in a daze as she ran away.

"What the fuck is her problem?" The baritone voice of his raven haired friend snapped him back into reality, and he noticed the whole hallway was staring at him. Suddenly girls started rushing towards him screaming "are you okay?" And "that bitch!"

As if suddenly just realizing what happened, he busted out in laughter. "Yo, Natsu, did she hit you that hard?" His friend gave him a weird look.

Natsu's laughter slowly faded as he stared in the direction the blonde girl ran off to. "Who does that?" A small peel of laughter escaped him again. "Who was that, Gray?" He seemed to ignore the girls who were trying to pamper his bruised cheek.

His friend shrugged, "Never seen her before, she must be new."

"She's interesting." He muttered, staring into space.

His friend gave him an odd look before parting him on the shoulder. "Come on man, we gotta get to class."

"Huh? Oh right!" He snapped out of his daze and turned to the girls surrounding him. "Excuse me ladies." He grinned and they swooned, allowing him to slip past them.

"Natsu!" A blue haired girl cheerily sang as she launched herself into his arms.

He laughed after he caught his breath and eased her off of him. "Hey, Levy! What's up?"

"Natsu, you were supposed to come with us last night." She pouted as a guy with long, black hair and piercings joined them along with another girl with long, wavy, blue hair.

"Hey guys! Sorry Levy, someone asked me to walk them home yesterday." He smiled as they started walking.

Levy shook her head at him. "You're too nice, Natsu. You shouldn't let people manipulate you."

Natsu stared at her dumbly while the black haired man reached his hand towards Natsu. "Give me five dollars."

"Huh?"

"Gajeel!" Levy glared at smirking man.

He smirked at her. "Whaddya gonna do, shrimp?"

Her cheeks puffed out, but before she could retort, the other blue haired girl screamed out, "Gray!" She pushed the others out of the way and ran to the stunned man. "Juvia was looking for you, Gray."

"J-Juvia!" He stammered as he tried to keep her away from him. "Jeez, chill out, wouldya?"

Gajeel snickered, "wimp-ow! The fuck, shrimp?"

"Be nice, Gajeel!" He rolled his eyes at her scolding. "Anyways, we heard about you getting slapped, Natsu. Are you okay?" She poked his red cheek, making him hiss and swat her hand away. "Sorry."

"It's fine. It was pretty funny." He grinned.

"How is getting slapped funny?" Gajeel raised an eyebrow.

"She was weird." He smiled wistfully.

"Your so silly, Natsu." Levy laughed while shaking her head.

* * *

Lucy sighed as a few notes fell out of her locker. She picked them up, ignoring the harsh whispers of girls around her. She unfolted a note and frowned. "You should be ashamed of yourself! You don't deserve to stand on the same ground as Natsu! How dare you hurt him!" Apparently doing anything even slightly mean to Natsu was like a crime in this school. She was pretty sure he could get away with murder if he wanted to.

"That's pretty harsh."

She let out a squeek and spun around to come face to face with a grinning Natsu. She furrowed her eyebrows. "What are you doing?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I just wanted to say sorry for scaring you earlier...and now apparently." He chuckled. "You're pretty weird."

Her nose scrunched up. "So, you're here to make fun of me?"

He tilted his head and frowned. "Why would I do that?"

She dropped her head and shrugged her shoulders. "Why wouldn't you?"

Her raised her head with his fingers under her chin, and gazed into her eyes. "I think you're interesting, and I'd like to get to know you better."

Her head drew back and her mouth opened in shock. "You think I'm...you what?"

He chuckled at her and pulled his phone out of his pocket. "Let's swap phone numbers!" He grinned brightly at her, making her cheeks heat up.

She shook her head slightly, "I don't give out my phone number."

His face fell slightly, but his smile didn't leave his face. "Well, then can I at least get your name?"

"Umm...it's Lucy." she shuffled on her feet while her eyes darted around, noticing all the people watching them.

He grinned and grabbed a pen and paper from his bag. "Well, Lucy." He scribbled something down and held it out for her. She tentatively accepted it and stared at it incredulously. "Give me a call sometime. We should hang out."

She stared at him dumbly. "Uh, no thanks."

She tried to hand it back to him, but he pushed her hand back. She stared at where his hand was connected to her's, an unfamiliar feeling fluttering through her. "Keep it." She looked up into his serious gaze, and it felt like she forgot how to speak. "In case you need anything, wanna hang out, or just to talk. Keep it. I'll be waiting for your call, okay?"

She didn't say anything, she only nodded as he started to walk away. She stared at his retreating figure in bewilderment. The whispers of other students in the hall snapped her back to reality, and she looked at the folded piece of paper in her hands. She hastily put it in the side pocket of her schoolbag and grabbed a few books out of her locker before she shut it. She ignored the voices around her as she made her way to class. She was lost in her own world so much that she didn't notice someone coming towards her. When she blinked back into reality, she was on her hands and knees, staring at the floor. She looked up and her eyes locked onto the menacing red ones of Gajeel Redfox. "Keep your head in reality, girlie. Otherwise, anything could happen to you." He sneered at her and walked off.

He was a person that she didn't quite understand. He always bullied her, but it never really felt like bullying to her. He would push her, shove her, knock her books out of her hands; but, it always seemed like he was somehow looking out for her, or giving her advise in his own weird way. It was always when she was in her own head, not paying attention to reality. Maybe it was his way of snapping her out of it? She wasn't sure. To her, it felt like he was warning her. It felt like it was okay for him to do it, so that no one else did. It was strange, and it made her feel like he was watching out for her. Maybe it was just her thinking too much, but it was something that almost made her want to smile.

Shaking her head, she gathered her books and got up from the floor to continue making her way to class. When she walked in, her eyes locked onto Natsu's. He grinned at her and her cheeks heated up. She ducked her head and walked to her usual spot to the very back seat near the window. When she sat down, she was startled by a blue haired girl leaning over her desk.

"You're the one who slapped Natsu, right?" She chirped, her face a mere inches away.

Lucy leaned back an stared at the girl. "Uh, yeah."

"I'm Levy! You're pretty famous now! Well, infamous I should say." She giggled.

Lucy scrunched her eyebrows. "That's stupid."

Levy blinked. "Wow, you're blunt." She then smiled. "Natsu's been talking about you, ya know."

Lucy tilted her head, and glanced at Natsu, who was talking to Gajeel. "Why?"

"He thinks it was really funny." Levy giggled behind her hand. "Anyways, you should come with us to karaoke after school! It'll be alot of fun!"

Lucy stared at the bright eyes of the girl before her, and a smile started to tug on her lips. "Um, I guess I'll try to come. I might not though."

Levy beamed. "I hope you do! It's at six at a place called Kelly's Kareoke. We call it KK for short. I hope you come!" She then ran back to where Natsu and Gajeel were. Lucy saw them all glance at her and she ducked her head down.

* * *

As Lucy was walking home, she was battling with her thoughts. A part of her wanted to go to Kareoke with them, but then she didn't. She was never really one for being social. Honestly, the thought made her uncomfortable. The most social interaction she usually got was with her white Labrador, Plue. What if they were just trying to get back at her for hurting the school's beloved Natsu? Maybe they were setting her up. But, then Levy seemed nice, and Natsu seemed genuine when he said that he wanted to get to know her better. That thought alone made her cheeks involuntarily heat up. She shook her head and made her resolve. She would go tonight. She would take a chance, and reach out, break from her shell. Even if they were setting her up, she would go and face it head on. So with a firm nod, she slipped her key into the doornob to her home. The door squeaked as she opened it. It wasn't the best place to live, it was slightly run down, and not in the best of neighborhoods. Her eyebrows drew together when she didn't hear the greeting from her dog that she usually got. "Plue?" She called into the silent house as she shut the door. "Where are you, Plue?" The squeak of the floorboards made her turn her head, and her eyes widened. "Dad?"

He stepped closer to her with a glare. "What? No welcome home? I've been gone for months, and you'd rather see your damn dog, is that it?"

She shook her head as tears burned in the back of her eyes. "No, father. Welcome home."

He sneered at her as he grabbed the front of her shirt, pulling her up from the ground. Her bag dropped to the ground and she stared at him wideyed as she trembled. "You don't mean that do you. Where's my dinner? You're supposed to make me dinner. You let the house go to shit while I was gone. And you let that fucking dog run around. You're so pathetic, can't even follow my rules."

"I'm sorry." She squeaked, which turned into a yelp when his hand connected to her face, forcing it to the side.

"Shut up you worthless trash!" He bellowed, and she screwed her eyes shut, tears streaming down her face. She guessed she didn't have to decide if she was going to Kareoke after all. Her earlier debate was pointless. She wouldn't be going now. Now that her father was home. As she took the abuse he threw her way, her only thought was that she hoped she had enough makeup for tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Lucy clutched her bag tightly as she entered the school halls. Nervousness and anxiety pitted in her stomach. Turns out, she barely had any makeup left, and it was barely enough to hide the top of the large bruise over her left eye. She wasn't able to cover the rest, and she almost didn't come to school today. Her lip was split open in the corner, and she had a small gash on the top of her nose. Her arms were bruised and her ribs hurt, but luckily the uniforms could hide that much. The love and encouragement from her dog pushed her to come to school today, so begrudgingly, she did. But as the whispers of "that's what she gets for hurting Natsu" entered her ears, she wished she hadn't. She opened her locker with shaky hands, and grabbed a few books to put in her bag, the weight of which was killing her shoulder. She gently closed her locker and made her way down the halls. When she rounded the corner, she saw Natsu and his friends standing by the windows. She internally freaked out and ducked her head so that her hair covered her face and continued, trying to go by unnoticed. She was almost there, she was almost home free when she heard Natsu called her name. She cursed under her breath and her steps quickened, but a hand grabbed her injured arm. She yelped in pain as she was pulled to a stop, and the hand immediately retracted.

"Hey, are you okay?" His concerned voice made her cheeks heat up, and without turning around, she nodded. She heard footsteps come nearer, so she assumed his friends were coming up to them.

"Lucy!" She heard the chipper voice of Levy. "We missed you last night. I was really hoping you'd show up. Do you think you'll come tonight?"

Lucy shook her head no and was about to walk away, but a hand gently laid itself on her shoulder. Natsu turned her around with both hands on her shoulders. "Hey, ya know, I was expecting a call from you."

She kept her head down, and murmured. "I already told you. I don't give out my number."

"Yeah, but I gave you mine." He put his fingers under her chin and raised her head up. She tried to move away, but his hand on her shoulder kept her frozen. His eyes widened when they took in her bruised face and split lip and she heard his friends gasp. "Lucy. What happened?"

"Nothing." She tried to lower her head, but he was still holding her chin.

"Lucy." His eyes grew deadly serious, and a shiver racked through her at their intensity. "Who did this to you?" His thumb traced her lower lip, and her cheeks flushed. In her peripheral vision, she noticed Gajeel standing there with a glare aimed her way, and his constant warnings flowed through her mind, and she knew at least he would believe her.

"I wasn't paying attention. I was in my own world and forgot my surroundings." Natsu frowned and studied her face hard.

"What the hell have I always told you, girlie?" Gajeel practically growled at her, and her suspicions were proven correct. He really was always looking out for her.

"You know her?" Levy and Natsu asked him in unison.

"In a way, yeah." Gajeel then locked eyes with Lucy. "Didn't figure you'd be the one to slap Natsu, girlie. But still, does what I say go straight through your ears or somethin?"

Levy and Natsu look completely confused as she muttered an embarrassed, "no. I always knew what you were trying to tell me."

Gajeel looked surprised for a moment, but the girl next to him spoke up. "Juvia doesn't understand how Lucy got her injuries."

"Yeah, it doesn't make sense." Gray said beside her with a frown.

"I'm sure Gajeel knows." Lucy said, trying to skirt around the truth. She really didn't want to be interrogates by them, she didn't know them for fuck's sake! They wouldn't understand.

Gajeel raised an eyebrow at her as the others sent him confused looks. "No, I don't know. It looks like someone took a fist to your face, girlie. I've never once pushed you hard enough to leave a bruise."

"Why push her at all?" Gray raised an eyebrow.

"She's always staring off into space, completely unaware of her surroundings. If I don't push her, who knows what could happen." Gajeel defended himself, noticing Levy looking at him in awe.

Natsu took hold of her wrist and started walking away. "I'll see you guys later, I'm gonna take her to the nurse."

"W-wait!" Lucy stumbled as he dragged her, a blush on her cheeks. "I'm fine, I don't need to see the nurse!"

He pulled her to a stop and stared at her intensely, making her back away from him a bit. "I don't believe your excuse, but I won't question it. So, at least let me help you."

Her breath stuttered as she meekly nodded. He smiled gently at her and continued to pull her. She stared at their joined hands in wonder the whole way. Her mind was wandering the whole time, and she barely noticed what was happening until Natsu knocked on the nurse's office door.

A muffled "come in" was heard and Natsu opened the door, dragging her inside. "Oh Natsu! It's so nice to see you!" A beautiful woman with snow white hair beamed at him, and Lucy was momentarily stunned by her beauty.

"Hey, Mira! How've you been?" Natsu grinned at her.

"I've been great! You're not hurt are you?" She looked over the boy in concern.

"Nah, I'm fine. But she's not." Natsu tugged Lucy out from where she was hiding behind him, and Mira gasped.

"Oh my! What happened to you?" Mira rushed over to her and tilted Lucy's face from side to side.

"U-uhm, I uh." Lucy stuttered, her mind momentarily frozen for an excuse, and she lamely looked to Natsu in a plea.

He raised an eyebrow at her and frowned. "It was an accident, Mira. No worries."

"If you say so." Mira frowned and walked away. Lucy shuffled on her feet while they waited. Natsu's gaze on her did little to settle her nerves. After a few agonizingly slow minutes, Mira came back with a bag of ice and a rag. "Sit down over here, uh, what's your name?"

"Lucy." Said girl muttered as she walk to the bed against the wall.

Mira wrapped the rag around the bag and placed it on her eye. Lucy winced at the cold. "Sorry, Lucy. This will help the swelling go down."

Natsu put a hand on Mira's shoulder. "Let me."

She gazed at him curiously, before a soft smile and a twinkle in her eyes appeared on her face. "Sure, Natsu!" She chirped a little too excitedly while hand the bag to Natsu. She got up while he sat next to Lucy, and went over to one of the cabinets. She grabbed a tube of disinfectant and walked back to hand it to Natsu. "Use this for the cuts on her lip and nose. I've got something I need to finish in the office."

"Sure thing, Mira." Natsu muttered as she went through the door on the other side of the room. He continued to stare at Lucy as he pressed the bag of ice on her eye. "I know I said I wouldn't question it." He held up a hand when she opened her mouth to protest. "But, if someone is hurting you, you should really tell someone." Her gaze fell to her lap as he took the ice away. He sighed and started to unbutton her blazer.

"W-what are you doing?" She slapped his hands away.

"Your arm hurts, right?" She gaped at him, and then she remembered that she yelped when he grabbed her arm earlier, and she grimaced. He moved his head to look into her eyes again. "Just let me help you." She stared into his eyes and saw nothing but honesty there, so she sighed and nodded. He smiled softly at her and moved his hands to the top button. She was pretty sure her entire face was beat red. What the hell was happening? Natsu Dragneel was technically undressing her, that's what. Right before she thought that she was gonna have a heart attack, he pushed the fabric over her shoulders, leaving her in the white button down shirt that usually lays underneath. He quietly gasped as he took in the hand shaped bruises on both of her arms. "Jesus, Lucy." He breathed as he lightly pressed the ice against her arms. His eyes saddened at the purple flesh, and she felt slightly guilty for giving him that expression, it didn't suit him at all. After a few moments he switched to the other arm and looked back into her eyes. "Does it hurt anywhere else?"

Her mind muddled as she debated with herself. Should she tell him? It felt like she should, well it would only benefit her if she did. Then again, she didn't want to see that sad expression on his face again.

"Lucy."

Her eyes snapped back to focus at the sound of her name, and she felt she couldn't lie under his scrutinizing gaze. His eyes were a void of warmth and true concern, and she felt safe in them. She took a deep breath, and whispered. "Yeah. My ribs hurt."

His eyes widened fractionally and anger sparked in them for second before he blinked and the softness returned. "Lie down, let me see." She eyed him warily so he gently pushed on her shoulder. "Trust me." She let him push her to lie down, and she held her breath when she felt his hands move to the hem of her shirt. Her skin tingled and tickled as his fingertips lightly grazed her skin, and she couldn't help the small giggle that escaped her lips. His hands froze and his eyes lit up as a small grin spread on his face. "You're ticklish?"

"S-shuttup!" She puffed her cheeks out as her face reddened in embarrassment.

He chuckled, "I'll have to remember that."

"What for?" She stared at him in slight horror.

"For when I wanna hear you laugh." He grinned.

She averted her gaze and muttered "you're an idiot."

He continued to chuckle at her as his fingers continued their path upward, enjoying her squirming as he deliberately let his fingers tickle her soft skin. His chuckle died in his throat when the bottom of the giant bruise entered his vision. His eyes widened when he pushed her shirt up to her bra. Her entire left side was an ugly shade of purple, and his face morphed into an expression of anguish; luckily her face was still turned away from him, so she didn't have to see it. "Who the hell did this to you?" He whispered to himself so softly that she didn't hear it. He cupped her ribs in his hand and lightly put pressure on it, making her hiss. "Take a deep breath and tell me if it hurts to breathe." He softly ordered.

She complied, and he watched as her side rose under his palm, and then flattened as she exhaled. "No, it doesn't hurt."

"They're not broken then. That's good." He placed the bag of ice on her ribs and mumbled a "sorry" when she flinched away from it. He took her hand and held it over the bag, "hold this here." She nodded, and he popped the cap off the disinfectant. He put some on his finger and leaned over her with his elbows on either side of her head. Her eyes flew open wide as his face neared her's, and her heart beat so fast that it was probably unhealthy. "This might sting a bit." He whispered, and she gulped when she felt his breath fan across her face, her mind racing to a different scenario where he might say the same thing. Thankfully, those thought cut off when she felt a slight sting on her lip. He carefully touched his finger to the split in her lip, and caressed it gently with the ointment. After what seemed like forever to her, he moved his finger to do the same to the bridge of her nose. When he was done, he brushed the backs of his fingers against her cheek and looked into her eyes. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Yeah." Her voice was breathless and needy, and she shook her head when her voice reached her ears. "I'm fine, thank you."

He smiled and sat back up, helping her sit up as well. He removed the icepack on her ribs and took a look at them. "I don't think that's gonna go away for a while."

"Oh my!" They both turned their heads to see Mira covering her mouth with her hands. "That's a horrible bruise, Lucy!" She rushed over to examine it closer. She hummed and locked eyes with Lucy. "I think you should head home for the day. Get as much rest as you can, I'll let your teachers know that you won't make it, so you won't get in trouble."

"I guess so." Lucy blandly replied as she straightened her shirt and put her blazer back on.

"Thanks, Mira! I'll walk her out." Natsu grinned as he grabbed ahold of Lucy's hand.

"Take care of her, Natsu!" Mira giggled, and the two teens blushed as they made their way out of her office.

"You gonna be okay walking home?" Natsu asked as they walked down the empty halls.

"I'm not helpless." Lucy glared ahead of her.

"But you are injured. And you won't tell me how you got injured, so I'm worried."

Her head whipped to the side to stare at him. "You're worried about me?"

He gave her a weird look. "Of course I am."

She averted her gaze to the floor as they walked, and her hand started to tingle where it was connected to his. "I'll be fine."

He pulled her to a stop as they reached the doors to the school entrance. "I would really like to walk you home."

She shook her head. "You've helped enough."

He sighed and gave her hand a squeeze. "Be careful, okay?"

She nodded and gave him a small smile. "I will."

"Good." He grinned brightly at her. "I'll see you tomorrow then. Keep putting ice on those ribs, I wanna make you laugh soon!" She flushed and he laughed before he quickly pressed his lips against her cheek. Her entire being froze, and she could only stare at him as he started backing away. "I'm still expecting a call from you. Cya, Lucy!" He waved and spun around.

She stared, and continued to stare after his figure was gone. In a daze, she turned and opened the front doors. She took a deep breath when the sun hit her face, and it calmed her racing heart. She took a minute to decide where to go, because she sure as hell wasn't going home yet. She figured she could sit at the park and work on her novel. With a nod to herself, she started walking down the road towards the park, her thoughts clouded with a certain pink haired boy.

* * *

 **Hey guys! .3 mentioned that the first chapter was a lot like the manga "say 'i love you'" and I just wanted to mention that yes, it was influenced by that. If you haven't read it or watched the anime, I highly recommend it. This chapter wasn't like that, and it won't be in the others either. Also, I forgot the disclaimer thing on the first one, so. : I do not own Fairy Tail. I still don't know if that matters or not, but oh well. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy the story so far. I will lick my cat for you!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

When Lucy neared her home, it was dark out. She smiled to herself as she walked. She got really far on her novel today, and she was really happy with the outcome. When she reach the front of her house, her heart dropped to her stomach. A leash was tied to the banister of the porch, and it was connected to a broken collar. There was no dog on the end. "Oh god." She whispered as a tear fell down her cheek. Did he lock Plue up out here all day? She quietly made her way around the house to the window of her room. She cracked the window open, wincing slightly at the ache in her arms. With much difficulty, and quiet groaning, she sneaked into her room as silently as she could manage. She scanned the dark room and whispered for her dog. Silence met her ears, and she could feel a lump forming in her throat. She tiptoed her way to the door, avoiding particular floorboards that she knew creaked by heart. With a snail like pace, she opened the door and peered around the living room. She could hear the rough snores of her father on the couch. Her eyes quickly darted around the room, before she retreated back the way she came. She quietly slipped back out the window, and started running down the street.

Tears blurred her vision as she ran. As soon as her house was out of earshot, she started shouting, "Plue! Plue, where are you?" She choked on a sob that was stuck in her throat. "Don't leave me, Plue." She ran for what seemed like ages, not caring in which direction she went. Her footsteps slowed as her ribs started to hurt. She bent down and clutched her ribs as her tears flowed freely down her cheeks. "I can't do this without you, Plue."

She gasped as she heard a soft bark in the distance, and she whipped her head in the direction of the sound, her eyes searching frantically in the dark. "Plue, is that you?" Despite the pain, she ran as fast as she could when she heard another bark. The barks got louder, and she stopped in her tracks when she saw her dog playing with a little girl. The girl was behind a metal fence, and Plue was playfully pawing at her through the bars. "Plue!" Lucy shouted, and both the girl and Plue turned to look at her. Plue barked and started sprinting towards her, as she did the same. She fell on her knees and wrapped her arms around his neck, as he nuzzled his nose along her face. She cried into his fur. "Don't scare me like that, Plue. I can't live without you, you know that." Plue whined and licked her cheek, making her giggle.

"Um, excuse me?"

She looked up to see the same girl looking at them through the bars with wide eyes. She hugged Plue a little tighter at the girl's stare.

"Is that your dog?" Lucy nodded and she was surprised to see the girl's face morph into a disappointed one. "Oh. Um, what's his name?"

"Plue." She wheezed. Now that she stopped running and had breathed a sigh of relief, her ribs were really starting to hurt, and breathing just seemed like a chore. She wished that someone could breathe for her.

"Well, it was very nice to meet you, Plue." The girl twiddled her forefingers together as she stared at them. Plue stuck out his tongue and wagged his tail, which made the girl smile.

Lucy looked at her dog and whispered, "did you make a friend, Plue?" He barked and licked her face, and she released him from her hold. Plue ran up to the little girl behind the bars again, and licked her face. Lucy smiled as the girl giggled while petting her dog. "What's your name?"

The girl looked up, startled by the sudden question. "O-oh. Umm. My name is Wendy. What's yours?"

"Lucy." The little girl smiled shyly at her, and Lucy clutched her ribs as she slowly crawled towards her. She let out a ragged breath as she leaned against the bars.

"Are you okay?" Wendy asked, furrowing her eyebrows. She watched as Plue let out a whine and nuzzled his nose against Lucy.

"I'm fine." Lucy sighed and accepted Plue's comfort. "I just need to rest for a minute." She sighed and rested her head against the bars, closing her eyes. "Where are we?"

Wendy frowned as sat cross-legged behind the bars. "This is the Magnolia Orphanage. It's called, Cait Shelter."

Lucy frowned. She had never heard of it before, and she had no clue where in Magnolia it was. She cracked an eye open, and glanced at Wendy. "How old are you?"

Wendy blinked in shock at the question, "I'm twelve. How old are you?"

Lucy smiled slightly as she closed her eyes again. "I'll be seventeen soon."

"Oh! So, you must go to the school then?" She asked brightly.

"Mmhmm" Lucy hummed tiredly, idly stroking Plue's fur as he rested his head in her lap.

"What's it like?"

"Well," Lucy mumbled. "It's crowded. I guess I haven't paid much attention to the school itself. I just kinda go there."

"Oh." Wendy mumbled dejectedly. "I wish I could see it. I want to go there when I'm older. I wanna make lots of friends."

"Friends?" Lucy opened her eyes again. "Why would you want that?"

Wendy tilted her head. "Who wouldn't want friends? Besides.." She put her forefingers together and mumbled lowly, "I've never had one before."

Lucy hummed as her mind started drifting off. "That's not true is it?" Wendy tilted her head to look at her. "You've got me and Plue."

Wendy's eyes flew wide as she watched Lucy's breathing even out. She stared at her, watching her sleep for a few minutes, before a huge grin spread on her face. "I hope you mean that." She whispered, and her grin slipped into a small smile as she turned around and leaned against the bars, next to her new friend. "You really shouldn't be sleeping out here." As she continued to watch her, her smile slipped into a frown. It was dark out, but she could clearly see a large bruise on her face, along with two cuts. "Are you in trouble?" Of course, all of her questions were met with silence due to her being asleep and all. So, she laid her head next to her's on the other side of the bars, and decided to keep her company while she slept. She wouldn't feel right leaving her alone, even with Plue there.

* * *

Lucy's eyes snapped open and she gasped as someone was shaking her shoulder. She sat up and snapped her head to the side. She put a hand over her heart and sighed a breath of relief when she saw the little girl from before staring at her, one hand clutching the bar between them. "Oh my god. You scared me." She breathed.

Wendy smiled, "sorry. You were having a nightmare."

"Oh." Lucy blinked, and looked around. The sun was rising, and she could see some buildings not too far away. She rubbed her eyes and yawned before she shook Plue awake. "I guess we should get going, huh Plue?" Plue barked before he stretched, and Lucy moved to stand up, grunting at the pain in her ribs.

"You're gonna come back, right?" Wendy peered up at her with wide, hopeful eyes.

Lucy blinked at her for a minute, then smiled. "Of course. Maybe not every night, but I'll come when I can."

Wendy beamed and hopped up to her feet. "Really?!"

"Sure." She dusted herself off slightly. "We're friends, right?"

She didn't think it was possible, but Wendy's smile brightened even more. "Yes! Friends! I'll see you soon then!"

Lucy stood there, baffled for a minute as the little girl ran off. She then looked at her dog. "We made a friend." Plue barked and wagged his tail, causing her to smile again. "I guess we should find our way home." She hummed as she looked around. Nothing looked familiar to her, but she decided to pick a direction and started walking. Her stomach growled as she walked, and she frowned as she realized she hadn't eaten since her dad came home. She stopped as she saw a man in the distance, and she looked down at Plue again. "I suppose you need a new leash and collar too, huh? Don't wanna get stopped by the police again." It was the dumbest rule in her opinion, but she would have to get a new one if she wanted to keep Plue. She sighed and looked at the man in the distance. He was on the phone, and he had a suit on, and as they got a little closer, she could see the bulge of his right, back pocket, indicating a wallet most likely.

She crouched behind a parked car near the man, and whispered to Plue. "Are you okay with doing this?" His tail and ears fell, but he nudged her knee all the same. She sighed and scratched the back of his ear. "Sorry, I don't want to do this either. Be ready to run if you have to, okay." He nudged her knee again, and jogged up to the man, making it so that his back would stay toward Lucy. "Okay, I can do this." She whispered to herself, before she slowly moved out from behind the car, still in her crouched position. She made sure her breathing and footsteps were practically inaudible as she drew nearer to the man who was cooing and trying to pet her dog. Slowly, and with halted breath, she slipped two fingers in his back pocket. She wanted to squeal in excitement when she pulled it out, but instead, she quickly opened it. Her eyes went wide when she found a one hundred dollar bill, and she quickly snatched it before she folded the wallet closed. With shaky hands, she slipped it back into his pocket, and quietly retreated backwards. She slipped the money in her bag, and once she was far enough away, she stood back up, and started slowly walking back towards the man. "Plue?" She called. "Where are you? Oh! There you are, Plue!" She faked relief as her dog ran back to her. She could tell the man was watching them, but she decided to ignore him as she faked a reunion with her dog. "You scared me half to death! Let's go home, okay?" Plue barked and wagged his tail, and they began walking past the man.

As they passed, she could hear him speaking on the phone, "sorry about that, babe. It seem the dog found its owner."

She slightly smiled to herself. "We make a good team, don't we?" Plue's tail sagged again, and she sighed. "I know. I'm really sorry, Plue." He barked and nudged her leg, reassuring her. "Okay, I guess we should find a pet store, huh?"

As they walked, she took notice of the street signs, so that she could come back to see Wendy. After what felt like forever, she finally saw a small pet shop, and thankfully, they didn't complain about Plue not being on a leash when she was inside. The cashier glowered at her, muttering about spoiled little rich girls, but accepted the bill just the same. Plue whined when she put the leash and collar on him, and it made her frown as well, but there wasn't anything she could do about it.

"This looks like a nice place." She said as she stared at a nice looking cafe. "I hope they allow pets." Plue barked and wagged his tail as they walked up to the building. She opened the door, ignoring the ding of the bell from her entry, and her mouth practically salivated at the amazing aroma of the place. Her eyes quickly scanned the delicious looking food, before she felt eyes on her. She look up and locked eyes with the guy behind the counter. Her mouth parted slightly, and her eyes widened marginally. Well shit, she definitely wasn't expecting to see him here.

* * *

 **Sorry for the long wait guys. Thanks for your support and reviews regardless. I really appreciate it, and it makes me so happy! I love you guys! I will lick my cat for you! ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

They stared at each other for a full minute, what felt like ages for Lucy, before he grinned, sending heat right to her cheeks. She had half a mind to just bolt out the door, but she was really hungry, the food smelled delicious, and it was the only food place that she'd seen open.

"Hey, Lucy!" He shouted and waved at her.

Her eyes darted down to the food again, and with a tug from Plue, she stepped towards the counter.

"What brings you here? I've never seen you come in before." He asked as he leaned his arms on the counter, his onyx eyes boring into her.

"O-oh, umm." Her brain scrambled to come up with a reason. Why did he make her feel so weird? "I-I uh. I was visiting a friend." It wasn't a lie, at least.

"Oh yeah? Who's your friend?"

He didn't look disbelieving, he just looked genuinely curious. "A girl from Cait Shelter."

His eyes lit up. "Really? That's great! I always hope more people will learn about that place. Actually, the only reason I work here is because they give a percentage of their profits to them."

"Oh. Are you from there?"

"Nah." He grinned again. "My little brother is, though."

"I see." She murmured, and a small smile started to tug on her lips.

"Whats your dog's name?" he asked as he leaned over the counter more, right as Plue lifted himself up to put his front paws on the counter.

"Plue."

"Hey there, Plue!" He started laughing as he ruffled the dog's fur. Plue barked and and wagged his tail, clearly liking the attention.

Seeing as Plue was making friends with Natsu, Lucy looked at the menu, right as her stomach growled.

The noise made Natsu turn his attention back to her. "Oh, sorry. What can I get for ya?"

"Umm." She hummed as she scanned the menu. "I'll have two italian melts, and a strawberry yogurt." She looked at Plue, then back at Natsu. "Make that three Italian melts, oh, and some water." Plue barked in agreement.

"Alright." He grinned, and then straightened up. "Come with me to the register, m'lady."

She blushed at his remark, and slowly walked over to the register. She watched as he pushed a few buttons on the screen.

"That'll be, twelve, fifty."

She reached into her bag, and she grimaced as she realized what bill she would have to give him. She averted her eyes, and held out the fifty dollar bill to him.

He raised an eyebrow as he took it from her. He marked it with a pen, and gave her the change. "Thirty-seven, fifty is your change, m'lady. Feel free to sit down, I'll bring your food to you when it's done, okay?" She nodded, and he grinned before he disappeared behind some swinging doors.

Lucy put her money in her bag, and walked with Plue over to a small, two-seater table. She sighed as she sat down, she was still really sore, her ribs felt like they were on fire, and she was exhausted. Plue curled up next to her feet, and she absentmindedly scratched his head as she stared out of the window. Her eyelids started drooping as she sat there. She had half a mind to just put her head on the table and take a nap, but before she could even try, a beautiful smell perked her up instantly, followed by a mouthwatering tray being placed on her table.

"Your feast awaits, m'lady!" Natsu grinned as he put the tray down.

She just stared at the food in awe, mouth agape, for a few moments. Then, she greedily grabbed a sandwich, practically stuffing the whole thing in her mouth.

Natsu raised an eyebrow at her and chuckled. "Well, someone's hungry." She didn't reply, she practically ignored his presence in favor of the sandwich. He took a moment, and studied her. A frown pulled at his lips as he took in her appearance. His eyes drifted to her dog as he whined and put a paw on her leg.

"Mfooh! Forry, Mlue!" She shouted with her cheeks full, and grabbed one of the sandwiches, dropping it on the floor, before returning her attention back on her own food. Plue wagged his tail and barked, immediately setting in on the food.

Natsu slowly sat down on the seat opposite her, and leaned his arms on the table as he watched her closely. She had bags under her eyes, her lip and nose didn't look much better today, her bruise was a dark purple,her hair was a mess, and…" Why are you wearing the school uniform? It's Saturday." Not to mention her uniform was rather dirty.

She choked on the water she was drinking, she had completely forgot he was there. Her cheeks heated up in embarrassment, and she stared at him with wide eyes once her coughing subsided. "Huh? O-oh." She looked down and subconsciously wiped her skirt. "I...forgot to change." It was a lame excuse, but she couldn't think of anything better. She really did forget to change anyways.

"Did you stay out all night?" He tilted his head.

She nodded and blushed, realizing she still didn't know how to get home. "U-um...could you tell me how to get to the school from here?" If she went in that direction, she would be able to get back home easily.

He raised his eyebrows. "You don't know where we are?"

She looked down and shook her head.

"Why don't you wait for about an hour, then I'll walk you home." He grinned

She quickly shook her head. "No, thank you. If you just point me the right way, I'll be able to find it fine."

He leaned over to stare intently in her eyes

"Let me walk you home."

She puffed out her cheeks. "Why?" She didn't want him to walk her home, hell, she didn't want anyone seeing her house. God forbid anyone walked inside.

His eyes turned serious, and softly answered her. "I get the feeling that you're in some kind of trouble. I want to make sure that you get home okay."

Her eyes hardened, and she replied with a bland voice that startled him. "Why do you care?"

His eyes flashed with hurt for a moment, before they saddened. "Why wouldn't I care? Taking one look at you would make anyone worried."

She rolled her eyes at that. "So far you seem to be the only one."

He hummed. "I highly doubt that."

"I don't." She clipped, before she stood up. "Thank you for the food."

He scrambled to get up and gently grabbed her wrist. Her eyes widened, and Plue growled at him. He looked at the dog, confused, and he let go of her wrist. "I wasn't gonna hurt her, buddy." His growls died down, but he was still watching him intently. At that moment, the door chimed, signalling someone had come in the café. He frowned, looking at Lucy. He desperately wanted to walk her home, but he was still working. "Why don't you wait for just little while? I'll be off soon."

She shook her head. "I need to get home. Thank you for the food."

"Wait!" He shouted, but she had already run out the door. "You still don't know how to get back…" He watched her through the door until she was out of sight. He sighed and turned to go help the customer.

* * *

By the time Lucy had found a part of the city that she recognized, her feet were aching and she just wanted to collapse from exhaustion. She felt so stupid, once she realized where she was. The orphanage really wasn't that far from her house, but with her roaming around all over the place, it was safe to say that she took the long way. Stopping in her tracks, she sighed and looked down at a tired Plue. "I really don't want to go home."

Plue's ears and tail deflated, and he whined, nudging her leg slightly with his nose. She sighed and looked up at the sky. "Maybe I should try something..." She whispered, before she looked back at the street in front of her and started walking again.

It wasn't long until she found herself in front of a grocery store. She crouched down and tucked the end of the leash into Plue's collar. "Sorry, Plue. They don't allow pets in here." His ears sagged, but they perked up again when she kissed the top of his head. "Will you be alright out here for a few minutes?" He barked and she smiled, ruffling his fur before she stood up. "I'll be quick, I promise." With that, she went inside.

She got some food that she could easily heat up and was quick to make. She didn't want to make a full out dinner, just enough to hopefully be satisfying. When she walked out of the store, bags in hand, she instantly looked for Plue. Her eyes widened when she found him.

What was with her luck today? Well, she didn't have luck to begin with, so she couldn't really say that, but still. She recognised them, Gajeel, Levy, Juvia, and Gray were all surrounding her dog. Well, it looked more like Levy and Juvia were cooing over her dog, while Gray and Gajeel just stood there with their arms crossed. She took a deep breath, not overly fond of having to talk to them, and made her way over.

Gajeel noticed her out of the corner of his eye, and his eyebrows rose as she approached them. "The hell happened to you?"

The rest of them looked up to see who he was addressing, and they looked at her in shock, well except for Levy who just got excited. "Lucy!" She shouted. "It's great to see you! We missed you at KK last night! You really should stop by sometime!"

It took Lucy a moment to remember what KK meant, but when she did, her lips lifted slightly. "Sorry, something came up." She then looked at Plue. "Ready to go home?"

Plue barked and nudged her leg as she grab the leash from his collar.

"That's your dog?" Levy asked excitedly. "He's such a cutie!"

"Yes, and thank you." She replied.

"We can walk you home, if you want." Gray stated as he looked her up and down.

She shook her head. "It's not far." What was with these people?

Gajeel glared at her. "You should learn to accept help when it's offered to you, Blondie."

Lucy blinked at him. "I don't need help to walk home." She knew that wasn't exactly what he meant, but she really didn't know how to react to that. She didn't know why he seemed to always look out for her, it wasn't like they were friends.

"Juvia thinks it would be best if we walked Lucy home." Juvia said as shr clasped her hands in front of herself.

Lucy didn't understand why this girl talked in third person, but she found it rather endearing, and slightly adorable. "Thanks for the offer, but I've got Plue with me. I'll see you at school I guess." She quickly walked away from them before they could say anything else. She could tell they were watching her as she walked away, and she barely heard their murmurs of goodbye as she sighed in relief. She hadn't had as much social interaction as she had today in years, and it was honestly exhausting.

When she stopped in front of her house, she let out a sigh. "Get to my room as fast as you can, okay Plue?" The dog went eerily silent, and his tail tucked between his legs as he made himself be as close to her as possible. She frowned at him, then took a deep breath before she started walking to the front door.

She opened it slowly, her senses on high alert as she peeked inside. All the lights were off, which was a good sign, so she opened the door wider and stepped inside. She nudged Plue with her foot, and he quietly walked to her room. She closed the door, and looked around the house, hearing a faint noise coming from the living room. She nearly tripped on an empty beer bottle, giving herself a mini-heart attack in the process. She finally located the noise, to find her father passed out on the couch, snoring. She let out a breath, and retreated to the kitchen. If he was passed out drunk, then he wouldn't wake up or a while.

She emptied the bags of food, and started heating them up. It didn't take long, and when it was done, she set it on the table. She quickly found a pen and piece of paper, writing a note of 'I love you, dad.' She figured she should try, it never really changed anything, but you never know. Sticking the note on the table, she walked to her room. She closed her door, and took off her uniform. She tentatively touched her bruised ribs, and hissed at the searing pain she felt. She put on an overly large T-shirt, and made her way to her bed. Plue was curled up on it with his ears down. "Everything's okay, Plue." She whispered as she curled up next to him, wrapping her arms around him. He seemed to relax in her embrace, and he licked her face before he closed his eyes. She sighed, she was beyond exhausted and completely sore. She kissed the top of Plue's head and closed her eyes. It barely took a minute for her mind to slip into unconsciousness.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Will you wait for me?" Lucy asked as she unclipped the leash from Plue's collar. He barked and wagged his tail, making her smile. "Okay, try not to get caught. I'll find you after school." She giggled as he nudged her leg, then ran off to chase a butterfly.

She sighed as she started walking to the school again, tucking the leash in her backpack. It was Monday morning now. She hadn't done much the day before, her injuries caused her to sleep practically the entire day. It seemed her plan had worked, for when she had seen her father, he didn't hurt her much. He only grabbed her jaw and told her that she should be making food like that for him everyday. Unfortunately though, he had grabbed her jaw rather harshly, resulting in slight fingerprint bruising on both sides of her jaw, one thumb on the right side, and two fingers on the left. They weren't terribly noticeable, but they were there.

She dazedly maneuvered around the marriage of students in the hallway, as she always did. She realized she hadn't written in her novel for a few days. She started thinking of how her main characters were going to get out of the predicament they were in. She didn't notice her name being called, well more precisely her hair color. She gasped as she suddenly found herself slammed against the lockers. She looked up to see a pair of red eyes glaring at her.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Gajeel sneered at her.

Lucy's eyes widened, she attempted to speak, but she only squeaked and clamped her mouth shut. He had never stopped to confront her before, he usually moved on once he got her attention. She wasn't prepared for this, and it honestly scared her.

He narrowed his eyes on her face before he balled his hands in her shirt, bringing her closer to him. "What the fuck is that?" He growled quietly. "Who did that to you? And don't give me some bullshit answer this time."

Her lower lip trembled. She couldn't say anything. She had never seen him this angry, and it terrified her.

"Just fucking tell me!" He shouted, raising his other hand in exasperation.

Fear took forefront in her mind as she saw his hand raise. Her eyes snapped shut, and she immediately raised her arms to shield herself. "I'm s-sorry!" She squeaked as tears leaked out of her eyes.

His eyes widened and his jaw went slack, as did his grip on her shirt. He watched, frozen, as she fell to the ground and curled in a ball, her hands still raised in defense. His inhaled sharply and cursed under his breath before he crouched in front of her. "Blondie?" He asked, much softer. He didn't mean to scare her, and he was mentally beating himself up for it. He slowly reached his hand out towards her, but immediately regretted it when she suddenly jumped up and ran away. "Blondie!" He called as he started to go after her, but he stopped when he noticed all the attention on him. He growled and glared at them before he stalked off in the other direction.

He stomped towards the entrance of the school, eyes frantically searching the crowd of students. His pace quickened when he caught sight of pink hair.

"Hey Gajeel!" Natsu grinned, right before he squeaked in surprise as the man grabbed his and Gray's arms, roughly pulling them to a secluded hallway. "Oi! Slow down!"

"The hell's your problem!" Gray shouted.

Gajeel released them when they were alone, and glared them both, silencing them completely. "We gotta talk."

* * *

Lucy felt ashamed as she stopped to catch her breath. Her tears stopped flowing, and she sank to the floor, burying her head in her hands. She didn't understand why she reacted that way. She didn't want to seem like such a coward to him. Now he would only see her as pathetic. She didn't want to be pathetic.

She sat there, composing herself for a few minutes. She heard the school Bell ring, and she wiped her dried tears before she stood up. Her heart pounded in her chest as she put one foot in front of the other. She wanted nothing more than to run home and cower away from all of these people, but she wouldn't. She didn't want to be pathetic. With a deep breath, she clutched the strap of her backpack and made her way to class.

She was grateful, eternally so, when she didn't see Gajeel or Natsu as she made her way to her seat. She let out a sigh of relief as she sat down unnoticed. Her relief was short-lived however, when Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel walked in the class. They all looked at her and she immediately averted her gaze to the window.

"Morning Lucy!"

She blinked and turned her head to see Levy smiling brightly at her, which morphed into a frown when she fully turned her head.

"Did someone hurt you again?"

Why? Why did these people have to be so nosy? Her hand curled around her pencil in a tight grip. She was getting annoyed, she didn't have answers to give them. Couldn't they see that she didn't want to talk?!

"You should really, really tell someone if you have a bully!" Levy continued, true worry laced in her voice.

"Juvia thinks Levy should leave Lucy alone." Juvia said as she grabbed Levy's arm and started dragging her away.

"But, Juvia!" Levy frowned.

"Gajeel has something he wishes to speak to Levy about."

"O-oh. Okay, I suppose." She then gave Lucy a small smile. "I still hope to see you at KK soon!"

Lucy let out a breath as she finally left and the teacher walked in. Throughout the class, she noticed Natsu and his friends would sneak glances at her when they didn't think she was looking. She was beyond ready to leave, thank God that was the only class she had with them that day.

As soon as the bell rang, she practically ran out of the classroom. She could hear footsteps behind her, but she just wanted to leave, she just wanted to get away from everyone. What happened to the times when she was practically invisible? When she didn't have to answer stupid questions and nobody cared. Why couldn't she be invisible again?

"Lucy, wait!"

She didn't wait, she had to leave, she didn't care if she failed her classes, she just needed to be able to breathe again. She let out a shriek when someone's hand clamped down on her wrist, and her instinctual reaction was to whirl around and slap whoever it was in the face. Which she did, and it was Natsu. He rubbed his hand over the spot as he frowned at her. Her face heated up in embarrassment, she didn't meant to slap him, it was instinctual. She could see his friends come to a stop a little ways behind him, and frustrated tears started gathering in her eyes. "Why can't you all leave me alone?!" She shouted, causing them all to stare at her with wide eyes. "You've never noticed me once in all these years, so why now? Why do you have to always talk to me? Just let me be invisible again! Just leave me alone!"

A silence spread between them, Lucy tears having spilled over during her shouting. Her head was bowed slightly and her hair covered her eyes. Suddenly, she felt a pair of warm arms wrap around her, making her whole body freeze. The arms squeezed her tight, and her face was pushed into his chest. Was she really being hugged? She was completely stunned. She couldn't remember being held like this before. The soft words that were whispered into her ear, shocked her even further. "Because you don't have to be alone."

She didn't know how to react to those words, but it filled her with a warmth that she was unfamiliar with. She remained frozen as he pulled away and wiped her tears. She looked into his eyes as he studied her face and gently traced her jawline. "Don't push us away. You don't have to be alone."

Her heart beat rapidly in her chest, and she swallowed thickly. After a few seconds, all she could do was give him a small nod. He gave her a big grin then, making heat rush to her cheeks. "Good! I'll see you after school, okay?" She didn't even reply before he was waving and walking away with his friends. She vaguely remembered the bell ringing a few moments ago. She blinked and looked down at her feet, a weird feeling filling her chest. After a few deep breaths, she made her way to class.

* * *

Lucy was walking out of the school doors, her thoughts preoccupied with what Natsu had said to her. She didn't know how to take it, to be honest. She'd never experienced anything like it before, and her whole body was still warm from his hug. His hug. He hugged her. She still couldn't believe he hugged her. It was an amazing feeling, and she honestly craved more of it.

"Hey, Lucy!"

She jumped out of her thoughts, and saw the pink haired man himself grinning and waving at her. Gray and Gajeel stood next to him, Gray smiling at her and Gajeel looking bored. She made her way over and fiddled with the sleeve of her blazer. She cleared her throat and mumbled, "Hi." She had a huge urge to hug him again, it was such an amazing feeling that she wanted to feel again, but she resisted.

"Are you going home?" Gray asked.

She peered at him curiously. "Um, yes?"

"We're walking you home." Gajeel stated.

She frowned, "Why?"

Gajeel crossed his arms over his chest, but Natsu beat him to a reply. "Cuz it's the least you can do for us as friends."

"Friends? For you?" She mumbled and tilted her head as she stared at him. She didn't notice the pink hue that dusted across his cheeks at her action.

"Well, yeah!" He grinned. "You don't seem to wanna hang out with us anywhere else, so at least let us spend a little time with you this way."

She frowned, trying to come up with an excuse, she really, really didn't want them to see her house. Her dad probably wouldn't be home, though. He left late last night, so she didn't expect him back until around dinner time or later. She sighed. She couldn't think of an excuse, besides, what harm could it really do? "Where are the girls?" She asked as she looked around.

The boy exchanged nervous glances, before Gray slowly replied. "They said they wanted to go shopping. They left pretty quickly."

"Oh." She mumbled, before she shrugged her shoulders. "Okay, then. Let me just find my dog."

"Huh?" They unanimously mumbled, but received no explanation as she suddenly walked away. They looked at each other, and shrugged before following her around the side of the school. They watched as she looked around the small clearing, pulling out a leash from her backpack.

"Plue!" She called, listening for any reaction. "Come on, Plue! You promised you'd wait for me!"

"Did she just say she made a promise with her dog?" Gray mumbled, making Natsu laugh and Gajeel shrug.

"Plue!" She called again, finally a bark reached her ears. She grinned when she saw Plue running towards her, jumping out of the small forest area that lined the school grounds. "There you are!" She crouched down and giggled as he put his paws on her shoulders and licked her face. "Careful, Plue, that kind of stings." He immediately sat back, but he continued to stick his tongue out and wag his tail. She clipped his leash on, standing up and scratching his head when he nudged her leg. She walked back over to the boys, who all had weird looks on their faces. "I'm ready now."

They all shook their heads to break from their stupor, before Gajeel grunted. "Lead the way, Bunny-girl."

She blinked at him as Natsu and Gray raised an eyebrow at him. "Bunny-girl?"

He just shrugged. "You remind me of a bunny."

She just stared at him for a minute, before she walked off without a word. They easily caught up to her, and a comfortable silence spread between them as they walked towards her house. She kept finding herself stealing glances at Natsu, who had his hands in his pockets as he walked beside her, then he would catch her looking at him, to which she would blush and immediately look down. When she would look again, he would be smiling, making her own lips twitch upwards. She noticed he still had a slight red spot from when she'd slapped him earlier, and she frowned. "Umm."

"Hmm?" He hummed as he turned to fully look at her.

"I uh, I'm sorry. For slapping you." She looked up at him with a frown.

He grinned as a few chuckled spilled from him. "No worries. You're weird after all."

She puffed her cheeks out. "I'm not weird!"

"Sure you are!" He laughed as she pouted. "But I like that about you."

"O-oh." Her face heated up as she looked down again, only to see Plue staring at her as they walked.

"So, how long have you had Plue here?" Gray asked as he scratched the dog's head.

"Oh, umm." She hummed in thought. "Since I was about ten, I think. Yeah, that sounds about right."

"Ah. So you guys are pretty close, huh?"

"Mmhmm!" She nodded with a smile. "He's the best friend I could ever ask for." She giggled when Plue barked in affirmation.

Natsu watched her with a smile. "How long have you gone to our school, anyways?"

She looked at him in shock, before she looked ahead. "Since freshman year."

Natsu frowned. "I wonder why I never noticed you." He said it mostly to himself, but she heard him and shrugged.

"Ya know, you're the first person to talk to me since my very first day." She then looked at him with a smile. "So thanks, I guess."

His mouth dropped open. "Is that really true?"

"Course it ain't!" Gajeel barked, causing them all to look at him. "You suddenly forget all about me, Bunny-girl?"

She pouted at him. "I wouldn't exactly call that talking."

"Whatever." He grumbled, and she couldn't help but giggle at him. She looked up and suddenly stopped. "Oh, were here."

They all stopped and looked at the slightly rundown house. "You live here?" Gray asked as he warily eyed the house.

She tilted her head at him. "What's wrong with that?"

Gray cleared his throat. "Nothing. Nothing wrong with it."

She unlocked the front door and turned to them, slightly taken back that they were right behind her. "Umm. Thanks for walking me home. See you lat-" She was cut off as Gajeel pushed past her and opened the door, storming his way inside. She gulped nervously as the other two quickly followed him. "W-wait! You can't just barge inside!" She shouted as she ran after them. She could immediately tell that her father wasn't home, making her feel like she could jump in joy at her luck. She unclipped a silent Plue's leash, but he didn't move from beside her. She walked into her living room to see the boys intently looking around, kicking a few empty beer bottles around on the floor. "You really shouldn't barge in uninvited, you know."

Natsu grinned at her and shrugged. "Can't be helped. So, where's your folks?"

She fiddled with the sleeve of her blazer. They were getting too personal for her liking. "Not here."

They all looked around the room once more, before turning to her. "You got anything to eat? I'm starving." Gray patted his stomach as he made his way to the kitchen.

Lucy huffed and moved in front of him, stopping him. "Nothing for you. Rude."

Gray held his hands up in defeat. "Sheesh, sorry." He then turned to his friends. "I really am starving. Let's go grab a bite."

"Sounds good to me." Gajeel murmured as he made his way towards the door. "See ya, Bunny-girl."

"Oh, okay." She mumbled.

Natsu walked up to her and put his hand on her shoulder. "See you in class tomorrow, yeah?"

She nodded, and then blushed as he grinned at her. A weird feeling pitted in her stomach as she watched them leave. She glanced around her home, and suddenly realized that she didn't want to be alone. She ran up to Natsu just as he was about to cross the threshold, and grabbed ahold of his jacket, shouting "Wait!"

They all turned to look at her, and she blushed as Natsu tilted his head. "What's wrong?"

"U-um.." She cleared her throat. "Are you, umm, are you planning on going to karaoke?"

"Yeah." He grinned. "You wanna come?" He asked with hopeful eyes.

"If... If you don't mind." She nervously replied.

"Of course!" He beamed at her. "We've been trying to get you to come with us forever, right?"

"I suppose." She mumbled.

"Why don't you come grab a bite with us beforehand?" Gray offered.

"Well, I guess I could eat, too." She then looked at her dog before looking back at them. "Can Plue come too?"

Natsu laughed. "It wouldn't be the same without him. Right, Plue?"

Plue barked and wagged his tail, making Lucy smile. "Okay." She breathed, "Let's go."

"Dontcha need to change first?" Gray asked.

She looked down at herself, her uniform wasn't dirty. She looked back at them and shook her head. "I'm good."

Gray shrugged. "If you say so."

Natsu held his hand out for her. "Come on. Let's go chow down!"

She smiled and gingerly put her hand in his. "Yeah." Her face heated up as their fingers entwined together. It made her heart feel light. It was an addicting feeling. She didn't know what she liked more, holding his hand, or that hug. Either way, it made her heart race, and she liked it.

* * *

 **So sorry for the long wait, again, guys. I really thank you for your patience. Buttts, as an apology, this chapters a half a chapter longer than normal. I love you guys! Muah! My cat is licked ;)**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Lucy had learned something when she went out to eat with the boys. They were the messiest eaters in the entire world. It was embarrassing. She was pretty sure there might be some lettuce still chilling out in her bra. Thankfully, they hadn't asked any more questions about her parents. Instead, they asked her questions along the lines of her favorite colors, movies, hobbies, etc. She had learned quite a few things about them as well, only a few things about Gajeel. One thing she couldn't understand though, was the way they acted around her. When they were alone, they seemed normal, but when someone would approach her, it was like they would shield her. It was a little infuriating, but at the same time, it made her heart feel light and her face heat up. She still didn't quite know what to make of them, and she felt a little awkward around them, but she was slowly getting used to it.

Karaoke had been…interesting, terrifying, and a little fun. Levy and Juvia had met them there, and the boys ordered food, again. She really couldn't believe how much they ate. Honestly, none of them could really sing that well, besides Juvia, and surprisingly Gray. They did a duet, and it was actually rather lovely. Poor Natsu was tone deaf, and she tried her hardest not to laugh at him. He had just seemed so proud of himself, she couldn't burst his bubble like that. Of course, Gray and Gajeel didn't mind bursting it. Which was sad, because Gajeel was the worst. She was pretty sure she would be having nightmares for a week. Levy was the only one who seemed to like it, though she highly doubted that the girl was being honest with herself. Not even an alien would like that. They had tried to get her to sing. She was tempted to give them the middle finger and get the fuck out of there, but she decided to more politely say no, and she watched them instead.

Natsu had practically held her hand the entire time. It was the main reason why she didn't hightail it out of there. She craved the warmth he gave her in a way she didn't understand. Every time his hand touched hers, her skin tingled, and her heart beat wildly. It was addicting, and she couldn't get enough of it. Every time he grinned that toothy grin of his, it sent heat through her entire body. She was addicted. He made everything seem like it was going to be okay. Every time she felt uncomfortable, or looked like she was about to run, he was there, making her feel safe again.

He had insisted on walking her home. She refused, but he persisted. Everyone else had left, and she didn't really have any excuses. She knew her father would be home. It sent dread anchoring her heart to her toes.

Thankfully, his phone rang just as they were leaving. There was some sort of family emergency, and he had to go. He wanted her to come with him, but she insisted he hurried. He looked like he didn't want to leave, but she breathed a huge sigh of relief when he finally did. She thanked every god in existence for her luck that day.

So, here she was, walking home at night with Plue by her side. After the night she just experienced, it was comforting. She was so used to walking with Plue at night, that the familiarity in it eased all of her nerves. She really did hope nothing too bad happened to Natsu's family though.

"Do you think his family's okay?" She mused aloud to Plue, who barked and nudged her leg. She sighed. "Yeah, I'm sure they're fine. I'll ask him tomorrow."

It wasn't much longer until she reached her home. When she did, both her and Plue stopped and stared. A cold dread anchored itself inside of her as she slowly neared her porch. Two large bags were set there, and a note was pinned to the door. She feared what it would be. She had a nagging suspicion, one that had been pulling in her gut for a while. And it was confirmed when she read the notice. It was an eviction notice. A final eviction notice. Her dad must have kept the others to himself, and now the house was property of the government. Tears built up behind her eyes, and she took a deep breath as she raised her hand to knock on the door. "Dad?" Her voice was weak and shaky, so she cleared her throat and tried again. "Dad?!" When she was met with silence, she reached inside her bag and pulled out her keys. Shakily, she tried to put the key in the lock, and her tears spilled over when it wouldn't fit. Slowly, her eyes dropped to her dog, and she brokenly whispered, "What do we do?"

Plue whined, tucked his tail between his legs, and nudged her leg. Her hands went lax in defeat, dropping both her keys and Plue's leash. She felt utterly lost. Where was her dad? Did he know? Did he already find out and leave? Was he coming back for her? He must not know; he probably hadn't come home yet. She looked at her dog, who was scratching at the bags. "Plue?" He stopped and looked at her. "Let's wait for him. He doesn't know. He'll come and take us somewhere else."

With that thought in mind, she grabbed the bags from the porch and made her way to the side of the house. She put the bags on either side of her, and nestled herself in between, with Plue curling up on her lap. She didn't necessarily want to wait for her dad, but she just didn't know what else to do. She hugged Plue tightly, and buried her face in his fur as she sat on the side of the house, waiting.

* * *

Lucy's eyes cracked open at the sound of birds chirping. She blinked a few times before she groaned and stretched her limbs out, waking Plue in the process. Plue shook his fur as Lucy slowly stood up, wincing slightly as her ribs hurt from the way she slept. She faced the window to her room, and peered inside since there was light out now, but there was nothing there. The room was empty. Her breath fogged the window as she sighed, and she made her way to the front of the house. She looked around, and slowly made her way to the porch again. "Dad?" She knocked on the door. She tried again, and again, but she was met with silence. Her eyes drifted to the notice on the door, and she pulled it off the door, stuffing it in her pocket. She went back around the house and sighed when she stood in front of Plue. "I don't know why I thought he'd come back for me." Plue whined and put his paw on one of the bags. "Yeah, you're right." She sighed as she put her backpack over her shoulders and grabbed both bags in her hands, letting Plue walk freely. "We have to find somewhere else to sleep tonight. Any ideas?" She couldn't help but giggle when he ran around her legs in circles. "C'mon, Plue. You can sleep on me anywhere." He barked and wagged his tail. She followed him, deciding maybe he could find a good place.

She had gotten a lot of stares as she walked around town. It was embarrassing, but she couldn't really blame them. A girl in her school uniform, who wasn't in school, with bruises on her face, two large bags in her hands, and following a dog…who wouldn't stare?

Plue seemed to finally come to a stop at the park she usually went to, and she smiled slightly. "You were reading my mind, Plue." He wagged his tail and started running around as she looked around the park, wondering where she could possibly hide out. The park was usually empty, so if she found a good spot, then there was really no chance of anyone finding her. She walked around a bit. There was a small garden area, with benches, and a small playground. Then there was an empty sewer with concrete covering the top. She had never once seen any water flow through it, and it was low enough to keep her hidden. It was the best choice. She dropped the bags down with a sigh of relief, her arms feeling like feathers once the weight was gone. She looked behind her and giggled when she spotted Plue chasing a butterfly. "Plue! I found our new home!" She dropped down into the sewer, it wasn't very low, but she had a feeling that it would be kind of annoying climbing back up. Plue dropped down a moment later, and she started dragging the bags over to where it turned into a small tunnel. It was a very short tunnel, only about five people could fit until they were on the other side. She sighed as she dropped the bags again, and took off her backpack before slumping down. "So? What do you think?" Plue whined as he laid down and rested his head on his paws. She sighed. "Yeah, I guess it is a little bland. Maybe we could go shopping and find some things to make it more…homey…or something." Plue let out a small groan. "Okay, shopping tomorrow then?" He grunted, and she sighed. "Are you hungry?" He let out a noise as his head perked up. "Me too. Let me just see how much money we have left." She sighed when she could only find five dollars. She used up most of it when she went with the boys to get food. She looked between Plue, and the five dollar bills in her hand a few times, before she stood up and put her backpack on. "Let's go into town. If we're staying here, we're gonna need a light of some kind. Maybe I can get one of those keychain ones for cheap. Then we're gonna have to pickpocket someone again." Plue whined quiet loudly as he got up to follow her. "I know, I'm really sorry, Plue. I don't like doing it either, but what choice do we really have?" He dropped his head and she scratched his ear before she climbed up the ledge, albeit with much difficulty. Plue easily jumped up and he stayed silent as he walked practically an inch away from her left leg.

* * *

They walked around town idly, as Lucy inspected the small keychain light she bought. She almost didn't have enough, if it had been two more cents, she wouldn't have. It was round, and the light was slightly blue, but it was surprisingly pretty bright in short distances. She was startled when the streetlight suddenly turned on, and her mind finally decided to take in her surroundings. The sun was starting to go down, and she realized that she was heading in the direction of the orphanage. She frowned. Maybe she should visit Wendy. Maybe she should actually go to the orphanage. She looked down at Plue and shook her head. She really didn't want to go there, besides, they probably wouldn't let her keep her dog.

A jingling noise made her turn her head in the direction of an auto shop. Her eyes narrowed when she saw a man bent over the hood of a car. "Plue, stay here." She ordered, and the dog instantly sat down. She patted his head and slowly walked towards the shop. She peered around the corner of the open entrance, and her eyes widened when she saw a ten-dollar bill peeking out of his back pocket. She licked her lips hungrily and crouched down. His butt was facing her, and she sent a silent prayer to anyone that it would stay that way. She silently slipped her backpack off her shoulders and lowered it to the ground, before she lightly started moving toward the butt. Her footsteps were silent and steady. A small part of her mind enjoyed doing this, the small, evil little part of her brain. It felt like she was a ninja, and it sent adrenaline pulsing through her veins. But, the bigger part of her brain hated it. Who knows how the man was going to spend that money. Maybe he has kids he's trying to feed, or maybe it's his only money for food that night. Guilt always clawed at her gut, every time, but her own hunger outweighed the guilt, and it's what made her hand outstretch towards the man's pocket. Besides, she had her own dog to feed. Her heart pounded in her chest when she softly caught hold of the bill between her pointer and middle finger. She held her breath as she slowly slid it out of the pocket. She was about to grin in triumph as the bill was free, but then something happened that had never happened before.

A strong hand instantly clamped down around her wrist, making her yelp at the force of it. She squeezed her eyes shut as she tried in vain to pull her arm free. _No, no, no, no, no! This can't be happening! I can't get caught! He's going to throw me in jail, then I'll never see Plue again! No! I can't be caught! I have to find a way out of this!_

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?!"

The voice was gravelly…and very familiar. Her eyes snapped open wide and her stomach dropped right out of her body. Her entire being froze, and the bill fell out of her numb fingers as she stared into the furious red eyes of Gajeel.

* * *

 **Aww, poor Lucy. I really do tend to make her life miserable, dont i? But, mmm, Gajeel. What's he gonna do to her?**

 **So, yay. It actually didnt take me forever to update this for once. Im trying to start a new system for updating. I'm trying to go in a rotation with my stories. ya know, like the next one i update is gonna be the one i updated the longest amount of time ago. That kinda thing. It actually worked this past week. I was able to update all six of my stories in a week, which was like an amazing accomplishment for me. So, hopefully that keeps happening.**

 **Annnd, you know I love you guys ;} You know it. I dont really need to say it, but i wanna. I love youuuuu! My cat is sleeping on my lap right now, but she loves you toooo!**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Lucy's eyes stayed wide, and her body remained frozen as she was quite literally caught in Gajeel's hold. His eyes were searing into hers as a snarl pulled at his lips. She didn't move. She couldn't move, she could barely handle breathing at that moment.

"I asked you a question, Bunny-girl." He growled lowly as he picked up the ten-dollar bill, holding it in front of her face as he crouched in front of her.

She gulped nervously, and she tried pulling her hand away again, only for his grip to become tighter. "I-I…" Her voice caught in her throat. She felt like she couldn't breathe, and she could feel the burning of tears in the back of her eyes. The longer he glared at her, the harder it was to breath.

Gajeel growled out a sigh as he saw the panic start to fill her eyes. "Calm down wouldya? I aint gonna hurt you."

She blinked at him as she swallowed thickly. "W-what are you gonna do?"

"I'm gonna make you a deal." He watched her face for a minute, before he lowered the hand that was holding the bill, and leaned his face closer to her. "If you tell me why you were tryin' ta steal my money, who it was who gave you those bruises, and you tell me honestly, then I won't call the cops on ya."

She gulped, her eyes wide in fear. What was she supposed to do? "Y-you wouldn't!"

"Believe me, Bunny-girl." He narrowed his eyes at her. "I've known something is up with you for a long time, and if I have to call the cops on you to find out what it is, then I'll fucking do it."

Lucy's gut sunk in defeat. When she was younger, she had gone to the police. They said they needed proof, and they sent a social worker to her house, interviewing and observing her father. Her father knew what was happening, so he acted like a normal, caring, and loving father. They said she cried wolf, so the case was dropped. Her father never forgave her for it either. If Gajeel did call the police, she had a feeling that it wouldn't go over well, with them or her father, and that terrified her.

Lucy breathed out a sigh as a tear spilled over on her cheek. Her posture slumped in defeat on the floor as she stared into Gajeel's unwavering eyes. She felt vulnerable under his scrutiny, but at the same time she felt safe. Here was someone who was always looking out for her in his own way. She knew that he already suspected the truth, with the way he barged into her house the other day. That in itself made her feel like she could trust him. The fact that he barged into her house, completely prepared to face anything she was dealing with, it gave her a sense of protection.

Right now, she was at her lowest, and she didn't want anyone to see her like this. But, if anyone was to see her so exposed, Gajeel would be the only person she would feel comfortable with knowing. She could see that he wanted to help her, so maybe she should just reach out and let him know what was going on. It wouldn't be easy, but it was the better option at this point.

"Can we talk somewhere else?" She whispered as she let her walls fall down. She let him see her exhaustion, her defeat.

Gajeel's eyes softened when he saw her body break down. He saw the helplessness in her eyes, and he knew he was the reason for that. She was obviously at a low point in her life, and she wouldn't shoulder her pain on anyone else. He knew the broken look in her eyes, and he hated it, but if this was the only way to get her to open up to someone, then he wouldn't feel bad for backing her into a corner like this. "Alright." He held up the bill again. "First, tell me what you were gonna do with this."

She blushed in embarrassment as she stared at the bill. "I was gonna buy food."

Gajeel hummed as he glanced outside. "Let's get some food." He stood up and outstretched his hand towards her. "Then we'll talk."

She stared at his hand for a minute, before she sighed and accepted it. "Okay."

* * *

They sat on a bench, in a small park near the orphanage, watching Plue run around. Lucy had scarfed her food down with no shame, with Gajeel watching her intently. Then, they walked to the small park, where Gajeel was waiting for answers, and Lucy was trying to figure out how to tell him. He could tell that she was having trouble, so he decided to make it easier with simple questions.

"Who's been hurtin' you, Bunny-girl?"

She took a deep breath, finally ready to give him her answer, yet it still came out as a whisper. "My dad."

He nodded, all of his suspicions proven to be correct. He clenched his jaw as his hands curled into fists. Leaning his elbows on his knees, he let his eyes rest on Plue as he asked through clenched teeth, "Is he waiting for you at home?"

She shook her head even though he couldn't see her. "No. He left. He…I thought he was going to come back for me, but he never did."

He leaned back and looked at her. Her hands were twisting in her lap as she stared at them, sadness in her eyes. Did she…does she still love her father? "Do you want that fucker to come back for ya?"

She looked up at him in surprise, before she looked back down. "I don't know. Last night, I came home to find all my stuff on the porch, an eviction notice on the door. I waited for him, I thought that he would come back to take me somewhere else, somewhere new to call home. I just… thought he would come back."

"Yer homeless?" He asked in shock. He closed his eyes when she nodded, he wasn't expecting that. The fact that she had faithfully waited for that bastard to show up for her made his heart clench. He was obviously someone she relied on, even though he continuously hurt her. She even stayed loyal to him, waiting for him to give her a roof over her head. But the bastard abandoned her, left her in order to take care of himself. He wished he had known this sooner; then maybe there would be something he could do. He wanted to take her in, but him and his Pops were living in a one-bedroom apartment, barely making it by as it is. If he took her in, they wouldn't be able to afford it. He was about to reach for his phone to call one of his friends, but then he remembered the promise he made her. He promised to keep this between the two of them. She had put her trust in him, and he'd be damned if he broke that trust. Her voice broke him from his thoughts.

"That's why I tried to steal from you. I'm sorry for that."

"Just…" He sighed as she shook his head. He didn't really know where his thoughts were at. "Have ya found a place to stay?"

She nodded her head, but didn't give any more information. He raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Where at?"

She look at Plue again, and smiled slightly. "A nice place. It's not quite home, but it will be."

He just grunted and crossed his arms over his chest. How the hell wasn't she balling her eyes out, or cursing the world? She was sitting there with a fucking smile on her face. The hell was wrong with her? Here he was, wanting to go find the bastard she called her father and beat his fucking ass, just from knowing about it. And there she was, sitting there with a smile on her face, having lived through it. He didn't fucking understand.

"Thanks, Gaj."

His eyes snapped open at her hushed words, and he look her dead in the eyes. "Fer what?"

She stood up and brushed her butt off. "For keeping this between us. And for giving a shit, I guess."

He grunted, standing up as well, and placing his hand on her shoulder. She raised her eyebrow as he just stared at her. He didn't know what to do, didn't know what to say. He didn't know how he could help her without breaking her trust completely. "Promise me somethin'."

She tilted her head. "What?"

He narrowed his eyes at her, making sure that she knew just how serious he was. "Promise me that when you need something, anything, you come to me. Don't care what it is. If you need some goddamn toilet paper, you come to me. Need to talk about something that's bugging you, or you got a problem, fucking tell me. Got it?"

She stared at him with wide eyes. What had she done to make him care for her? She didn't do anything nice or friendly towards him, so she didn't understand why he cared so much. She remembered a feeling that Natsu had given her once, and she craved it again. So, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him. She felt his body tense for a minute before he relaxed, but he made no move to return the hug. With slight disappointment at not getting the feeling she did with Natsu, she stepped back and gave him a small smile. "I promise." He gave her a curt nod, and she turned to make her way over to Plue. She clipped on his leash, and gave Gajeel a small wave before she set off to go back to her sewer.

Gajeel watched her leave while he growled quietly to himself. It was really fucking late, and the streets were dark and empty. He fucking hated that he made her that promise, now there was nothing he could do. Right before her figure disappeared, he ran a hand down his face and muttered a "Damnit" before he moved to silently follow her.

* * *

Lucy sighed as she plopped down in the sewer, Plue settling down right next to her. She pulled her knees up to her chest as she tried to relax. It was pitch black outside, and it was eerily silent. She had wanted to buy a few things to make this tunnel a little more…well, less scary. But she didn't have any more money. She reached into her bag and got out the small flashlight. With the small light, she rummaged through the two bags full of her things, hoping to come up with something useful. She wanted a blanket since it was getting cold, but it seemed like all that was in the bags, were clothes. She sighed and bunched up a few articles of clothing, and laid them on the ground. She grabbed some more and laid on the pile of clothes, pulling the others over her. It felt weird and it didn't really help much, but it was the best she could do right then. She turned off the flashlight and with Plue curling up next to her, she closed her eyes and tried to go to sleep.

Her mind wouldn't turn off though. The longer she laid there, the more uneasy she felt. Her heart beat picked up when she opened her eyes only to see complete darkness.

A small whimper escaped her when she heard footsteps above her tunnel. She sat upright and grabbed her flashlight, hugging it close to her chest as she tried to listen. The footsteps stopped, along with her heart. Her eyes were bugged out, trying to see better in the dark, but it didn't help. Plue was fast asleep, so she gently nudged him to wake him up. Shakily, she held the flashlight at arm's length, and turned it on.

A scream ripped from her throat when she saw red eyes staring back at her. Plue immediately started barking and growling, and the figure covered its ears.

"Oi! Stop screamin', will ya?!"

Her breath left her in relief at the familiar voice, and she shone the light on the figure again. "Gajeel." She breathed out, and she grabbed for Plue, silencing him as she hugged him to her chest. "What are you doing here?"

He scowled as he ducked into the tunnel and plopped down next to her. "You said you found a nice place. This aint a nice place, Bunny-girl."

Lucy sat up to settle next to the man, his presence bringing her much needed comfort. "It's nice enough for me."

He just shook his head, but made no other response as he sat there, his arm resting on his one propped knee. Lucy put the flashlight on the floor, the light hitting the opposite wall of the tunnel, giving just enough light for them to be able to see each other.

When he didn't say anything for a while, Lucy pulled a t-shirt closer around her arms as she decided to ask him again. "Why are you here?"

He shifted to look at her, noting her slightly shivering frame. "I didn't like not knowing where you were staying."

Her lips lifted upwards. "Well, you know now, so why are you still here?"

"It's fucking late. I aint walking that far. I'm tired." He grumbled, growling slightly when he heard a small giggled come from beside him. They sat in silence for a while, Plue having fallen asleep by their feet. He glanced at her again, and sighed when he saw her head lolling slightly as she shivered. A second later, her head would jerk back up to look around, then her eyes would flutter again.

She squeaked when she felt herself being picked up, and her eyebrows scrunched when she was placed on Gajeel's lap. He wrapped his arms around her as her back sunk into his chest. "What are you doing?"

"Yer cold and scared. I'll look out for ya, so go to sleep."

"You don't have to." She protested.

"Don't care."

She sighed. She was honestly a lot comfier and warm. She felt her eyelids droop again, and this time she didn't jerk back up to look at her surroundings. Knowing that he was protecting her made her feel at ease, and sleep came easily as she laid her head back against his chest.

* * *

 **Sigh, I freaking love Gajeel.**

 **Sorry for the total lack of updates, but Megacon was this week. and I just had to go. I went as Plue, which was fun, but a lot of people thought I was Olaf. Oh well. Got to see the English voice actors of Fairy Tail, so that was fun.**

 **Anyways, I'll be updating now that that fun is over. I love you guys! Muah!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Lucy groaned as her mind began to wake up. She tried to move when she felt something hard dig into her temple, but a pair of arms squeezed her, and a scratchy voice mumbled something unintelligible in her ear. Her eyes snapped open, only to blink as the sun's harsh rays felt like they just burned her eyeballs. "Son of a…" She squinted when the arms squeezed her again, and she cracked her right eye open to look down at the massive pierced arms caging her against the broad chest she was resting against. Her heart palpitated in her chest, she really didn't think he would stay with her all night. She chanced cracking her other eye open, and she looked at her feet to see Plue sleeping on his back, his paws twitching every now and then. She smiled and poked the man's forearm. The man's hand twitched on her arm, and he rolled his head off of hers to lean the other way. She breathed a small sigh of relief; his eyebrow piercing was what was digging into her temple.

"Gajeel." She groaned, shimmying her shoulders to try and break out of his hold. His suddenly growled and crushed his arms around her, making all of her breath leave her in a whoosh. "Gaj…eel." She wheezed. No response. Summoning all the strength she could muster, she pushed her arm forward, then rammed her elbow into his stomach.

His eyes popped open as he breath left him, immediately releasing the girl to pressing his palms where she had hit him. "The fuck, Bunny-girl?!" His eyes were still glazed over from sleep, and he was really fucking confused at the moment.

"You were suffocating me." She stated as she tried to get her breath back. Stumbling forward, she roused Plue, and the dog yawned with his tongue sticking out before he stretched all of his limbs.

"Little bit of warning would have been nice." He grumbled as he rubbed his poor stomach.

"I could say the same to you." She pursed her lips.

He sighed, stretching as he stood up. "Yeah, yeah. Sorry, Bunny."

"Fine." She let out a humph and started rummaging through the clothes strewn across the ground, trying to find her school uniform. Once she found it, she turned to Gajeel with a small blush. "Can you turn around or something?"

He chuckled. "I'll just listen from up there." He cackled when she threw a shirt at him, and he ducked out of the sewer to hop on top, letting his legs dangle there for her to see.

She rolled her eyes, and started changing, after making Plue turn around as well. He was a good dog, so he did. Her uniform was a bit dirty. She supposed she'd have to find a laundry place soon. With what money though? "Umm… Gajeel?"

"Yeah?" He shouted from above, the sound echoing in the small tunnel.

"You wouldn't happen to know any place that's hiring, would you?" She pressed her fingers together as she waited for his reply.

He jumped down from his perch, and crossed his arms as he stared at her. "Not off the top of my head." When she deflated, he quickly added, "but I can keep an eye out for ya."

She gave him a small smile, and muttered a small "Thanks."

He grunted in response. "Ready to go to school?"

"Mhm." She grabbed her backpack, and clipped Plue's leash on his collar. Gajeel helped her climb up the ledge, and after Plue jumped up, they started walking in the direction of the school. "Wait, what about your uniform?"

He shrugged his shoulder. "I keep a spare in my locker."

"Oh." She side-glanced him a few times as they walked. She wanted to ask him something, but she almost felt it was too personal. She rolled her eyes at herself. She had told him about her whole life, they already crossed the line of personal. "Hey, Gaj?" He just grunted. "Would I maybe be able to…work where you do?"

He glanced at her from the corner of his eyes, moving it up and down her body. "Nope."

She puffed out her cheeks, making him smirk. "Why not? I could do it!"

He let out a chuckle. "Didn't say you couldn't, Bunny. My old man owns the place. It's a _family_ thing."

"Oh." She sighed, her shoulder slumping. Family. Why did that one word have to always make her feel so alone?

"Oi! I said I'd keep an eye out for ya, so don't get all depressed and shit!" He barked, slightly scaring her from her thoughts. He sighed dramatically when she blushed and looked at the floor. He grabbed her arm gently to stop her, and he dug through his pockets. He took out a ten-dollar-bill and handed it to her. "You gotta get breakfast."

She shook her head. "No, I'm not a charity case. I'll figure something out after school."

Her gave her a pointed look and forceful closed her hand around the bill. "You gonna steal again?" When she hung her head in shame, he patted her hand. "I know you'll find a job, then you can pay me back, alright? Yer not a charity case. Just a friend being helped by a friend."

She sighed and fisted the bill, before she put it in her pocket. "I'll pay you back, I promise."

He just grunted and started smoothing out her hair.

"What are you doing?"

"You look homeless."

"Oh." She dumbly stared at the collar of his shirt while he raked his fingers through her hair. When he was done, he lifted her chin and wiped off some dirt on her cheek with his sleeve. She hissed in pain when it went over the bruise on her face.

"Sorry." He grunted.

"It's fine." She mumbled, clutching the strap of her backpack when he finally seemed done. "So? Still homeless?"

He smirked and started walking again. "Now ya just look like a scared little rabbit."

Her eyes widened and she ran to catch up with him. "Is that why you call me Bunny-girl? Because of when you scared me?"

He sighed, the school coming into view. "At least yer smart." They walked in silence after that, with Plue happily trotting along between them. Before they got to the doors, Lucy unclipped Plue's leash and made him promise to wait for her, which he just barked and ran off after, so she assumed that meant he promised; Gajeel wasn't so sure.

They walked through the doors, but they didn't get very far before Gajeel suddenly stopped in his tracks, Lucy stopping with him and raising an eyebrow at his shocked expression. When he breathed out a "No fucking way", she followed his line of sight and saw all of his friends surrounding and talking to a girl with long, red hair and a boy with bright, blue hair and what looked like a red tattoo over his eye.

Natsu noticed them out of the corner of his eye, and grinned and waved at them before he made his way over. "Guess who's back?"

"They here fer good?" Gajeel asked.

Natsu grinned and nodded. "For good." Gajeel then smirked and stormed his way over to the two. Natsu raked his eyes over Lucy, her stiffening and tightening her grip on her strap as he did. He seemed to be satisfied when he let out a breath and smiled at her. "Sorry for not walking you home last night. Did you get home okay?"

She blinked, having forgotten all about that. "Um, yeah. I got…back okay." Shit, what was she supposed to do if he wanted to walk her home? "Is your family alright?"

"Oh yeah." He scratched the back of his head. "My little brother got into a fight and broke his arm. He's kind of a fireball."

Lucy couldn't help but smile. "He's a troublemaker, huh?"

Natsu chuckled. "Not really. He's just…trying to prove he's strong."

She rose an eyebrow, her lips twitching slightly. "I'm guessing there's someone he's trying to prove it to?"

Natsu sighed. "Yeah…He keeps saying he wants to be as strong as me, but I keep telling him he only needs to be strong when he needs to. I don't think he understands."

Her smile dropped as she looked at him. "I'm guessing you've had to be strong before."

"Yeah." He sighed and grabbed her hand, the action making her heart thud in her chest and her cheeks heat up. "Anyways, I want you to meet some friends." He grinned tugging her in their direction. "They just got back." She couldn't do anything but be dragged over to his group of friends. "Hey guys!" They all turned to him, and those that new her smiled at Lucy, sans Gajeel of course. "There's someone I wantcha to meet. This is Lucy!"

The redhead smiled at the blushing girl and extended her hand. "Hello, Lucy. I'm Erza."

"Um." Lucy swallowed, this girl was rather intimidating. "Hello."

Erza rose an eyebrow and dropped her hand when the girl didn't reciprocate. The blue haired man beside her just rose his hand in greeting. "And I'm Jellal."

Lucy nodded, squeezing Natsu's hand, and blushing when he gave her a small squeeze in return. "So…You're old friends?"

"Yes." Erza smiled. "We went away to Italy to study abroad. We almost renewed our program, but we missed home too much."

"Aww, I'm so happy you're back!" Levy squealed.

"Yeah, man." Gray clapped Jellal on the back, who did the same. "It's been boring not having a couple to tease."

"You have to tell us all about Italy!" Levy squealed again.

"Juvia thinks it must have been the most romantic place in the world!" Said girl gushed as she clutched on to Gray's arm. The man just sighed and rolled his eyes, thanking the heavens when the bell rang,

"We can discuss it after class." Erza stated.

Gajeel grunted. "I see you haven't changed."

Erza glared at him. "Is that a bad thing?"

The man held his hands up in surrender. "Nope. Not at all."

"Good."

"Um…" Lucy blushed when all of their eyes snapped to her. "I have to get to class." She took her hand out of Natsu's, immediately missing the warmth, and sped off without another word.

Erza turned a sharp look to Natsu when she walked off, and he slightly shivered under her gaze. "Explain why she is hurt."

They all collectively sighed, watching the blonde girl walk away. "We'll talk about it after class." Gray mumbled as he turned to go to class, the others doing the same.

Gajeel cursed under his breath. Keeping his promise to her was going to suck.

* * *

Lucy sighed as she turned off the faucet. Her next class would be with Natsu. She was actually looking forward to seeing him again, but anxious at the same time. She couldn't explain the craving she had to feel contact with his skin; it just set her whole body on fire, and it was addicted.

"Oh, Lucy!"

She looked up to see Levy, Erza, and Juvia coming into the bathroom in the mirror's reflection. She turned and smiled at them. "Hello."

Levy beamed as she bounded up to her. "So, we were all talking about going shopping, Erza needs a few things now that she's back, and we would love if you came with us!"

"Um..." Lucy swallowed as she looked at Erza's smiling face. She had gotten pretty comfortable around Levy and Juvia after karaoke last night, but there was something about Erza that was just…scary. "I dunno…I was just going to go home."

A weird look crossed Erza's face, but she quickly covered it up with a smile. "It will be my treat, Lucy. It would be nice to get to know a new friend."

"F-friend?" Lucy stuttered. Did this girl really think of her like that already?

"Juvia believes that Lucy is our friend. Were we wrong?"

Lucy looked at Juvia in shock. "Um, no…I just…" She looked at her feet and wrung her hands together, mumbling quietly, "I've never had friends before."

Levy engulfed her in a hug. "Well, you've got friends now! So, come shopping with us so we can make it official, okay?"

Lucy stayed stiff, not reciprocating the hug at all, but she was blushing up a storm. "O-okay."

"Yay!" Levy cheered, breaking the one-sided hug. "This is gonna be so much fun!"

Somehow, Lucy doubted it. She was currently freaking the fuck out over it. But she smiled anyways as they all went to their one class together.

* * *

 **Thanks for your patience on the updating! Really appreciate it.**

 **FerociousCookiez Their ship name is GaLu, and you should really try it out. I mean I might just like them more than NaLu to be honest. BUT this is a NaLu story, but I couldn't help myself with a brotp. I'm a sucker for protective older brothers.**

 **TheDorkyCelestialFlame I completely agree ;)**

 **Anyways, Thank you guys so much! You know I love youuuu! My cat is licking youuu! Muah!**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Lucy gulped as the bell rang, signaling the end of school for the day. All the students around her cheered and quickly packed up their things; but not her. While they all left in a hurry, she stayed sitting at her desk. She was too nervous to get up; too nervous to have to go shopping with those girls. She had never done anything like that before, and she only had five dollars left of what Gajeel gave her that morning. Would they want to know why she has such little money? If they wanted to go eat, would they expect her to pay? Would they want to walk her home? Would they be okay with her taking Plue?

"You okay?"

She gasped and looked up to see Natsu staring at her with furrowed brows. "What?"

He rose an eyebrow. "School's over ya know. You don't have to stay at your desk any longer."

"O-oh. Right." She blushed in embarrassment and stared putting her books in her backpack.

"So, I heard you're gonna go shopping with the girls." Natsu said, holding out his hand for her when she zipped up her bag.

She blushed as she put her hand in his, and a content hum rang through her body at the contact. "Mhm."

He pulled her up to face him. "Before you go, I want to check your ribs."

She swallowed thickly. She knew they weren't much better; especially with how Gajeel squeezed them that morning. "W-Why?"

"I told you." He grinned. "I wanna make you laugh."

She puffed her cheeks out as they started to heat up.

He chuckled at her with pink on his own cheeks and gestured to her shirt. "Well, c'mon. Show me."

She just stared into his expectant eyes for a while, not really sure what to do. She knew her ribs looks bad, but he'd already seen them before.

"Hey."

She blinked and her eyes refocused on his concerned ones.

"I'm not gonna hurt you." He said softly.

Swallowing thickly, she gripped the hem of her shirt. "I-I know that."

"Then there's nothing to worry about." He placed his hands over her slightly shaking ones, and helped her pull her shirt up to just under her breasts. He bent down to look at her ribs closely, noting that the purple color had morphed into a dark brown, and yellow splotches had started to appear. "Looks like it's healing now." He murmured as he placed his palm over her ribs. He straightened up to watch her face as he put slight pressure against the area. He cringed when she did, and retracted his hand with a small "sorry".

Hastily, she pulled her shirt down as she muttered, "are you happy?"

"Not at all." He frowned, and she frowned with him. "You haven't been putting ice on it."

"No" She admitted.

He stares at her seriously for a moment, before he smiles and holds his hand out for her. "Well, we shouldn't keep the girls waiting."

"R-right." She gently put her hand in his, and she blushed when he gave it a squeeze.

They walked towards the front of the school in silence, but Lucy's mind was reeling. Her hand was almost tingling from being in contact with his, and she didn't understand it, but it was addicting. She wanted to hold his hand forever, and with that thought, she unconsciously squeezed his hand. She was deep in thought, so she didn't notice how he looked at her in surprise with a blush on his cheeks.

Another thing she didn't understand, was why he cared for her so much. She wasn't an idiot, she knew that he had checked to see if anyone had hurt her between last night and this morning. She knew that him and his friends suspected the truth, and if her father had stayed, she had no doubt that they would have figured it out in no time. But, why? Why would he care enough to even check up on her? Why would he care if her ribs were healing? It wasn't like she was nice to him; hell, she slapped him the first time they met. She just didn't get it.

"Natsu?" Her voice was small, but it effectively made the boy stop and turned to face her. "Why do you care?"

His head tilted to the side and his eyebrows scrunched together. "What do you mean?"

She lifted her head to look directly into his eyes. "I've never been nice to you, yet you keep checking to make sure I'm okay. I don't understand it. Why do you want to help me?"

His eyebrows shot up, before his face softened with a small smile. "You caught my attention like a slap to the face." He smirked when her cheeks heated in embarrassment. "At first, I thought you were interesting because you didn't treat me like other girls do. Then, when you came to school all messed up, I felt angry. I wanted to protect you; I still do." He raised his hand to stroke her cheek with the backs of his fingers. "Whoever hurt you, deserves to be punished."

Her eyes went wide at his words. "But, why?"

His eyes saddened, and his hand dropped to his side. "Before we met, had anyone ever taken care of you?"

Her mouth opened, but nothing came out. She just stared at him, trying to figure out what to say. Her mind completely blanked out when she felt a pair of lips gently press against her cheek.

Natsu pulled back and couldn't help but smile at the dazed expression on her face. "Don't think about it too much. Just know that I'm here for you, okay?"

She mutely nodded, and he gave her hand a squeeze before he started walking again, dragging her with him.

"There you are!" Levy shouted as Lucy and Natsu walked out of the school doors.

"Juvia was worried that Lucy had been abducted." Juvia said as her eyes honed in on the two's connected hands. "It seems Juvia was correct."

"We were just about to go and look for you." Erza said as she crossed her arms.

"Sorry guys." Natsu grinned at the girls. "I wanted to talk to her for a bit."

"That's okay!" Levy smiled. "Are you ready to go, Lucy?"

Said girl nodded and stepped towards the girls, but Natsu pulled her back. She turned to look at him with a tilt of her head.

He raised their joined hands and placed a kiss on the back of hers. "Have fun, okay?"

She just stared at him with a blush and made no effort to acknowledge his words; since they kept ringing in her ears. He then let go of her hand and waved at the girls as he walked away. A giggle made her turn to see Levy right beside her.

"Let's get going then!"

"I just need to find Plue first." Lucy said, and they all looked at her in confusion.

* * *

"This is barbaric. Do they have no souls!?" Erza shouted as she waved her fist at yet another store that didn't let dogs inside.

Personally, Lucy didn't really care if they went shopping or not. To be honest, she didn't really want to go looking at all the nice things she could never have. Then again, she kind of felt bad that she was keeping these girls from having fun. She stared at Erza as the girl fumed. The red-head had fallen completely in love with Plue when she saw him. Her entire demeanor had changed from serious to…. well, a child.

"You guys can still go in." Lucy said, and they all looked at her in shock. "I don't mind staying here with Plue."

Erza frowned. "Well, if you don't mind, I do need to get something from here."

"I'll stay with you, Lucy." Levy smiled, and Lucy smiled with her.

"Juvia would like to see the pretty outfits."

"All right then." Erza grabbed Juvia's arm. "We will return shortly."

Lucy and Levy walked over to a nearby bench and sat down to wait. Plue jumped up between them and laid down across both of their laps, making them both giggle.

"So, Lucy?" Levy started as she stroked Plue's back. "Do you like Natsu?"

Her face burned as she stared at the blue-haired girl, but she just turned her gaze to the dog on her lap.

Levy giggled. "I think he likes you."

"He…" Lucy started as she stroked her dog's fur. "He makes me feel things that I've never felt before. I don't understand it."

Levy tilted her head. "How does he make you feel?"

"When he holds my hand, my skin tingles and it's warm. I don't want him to let go. When he hugs me, I feel safe, like nothing bad can happen. I feel addicted to his touch." She turned to look at a smiling Levy. "Is that normal?"

Levy giggled slightly and nodded. "It's perfectly normal when you have a crush on someone."

"That's what this is?" Lucy asked. She wasn't stupid; she knew what having a crush was, she just didn't know that was how it felt."

"Mhm. You like him. And I think he likes you too."

"Really?" When Levy nodded, Lucy looked down at her hands and whispered, "why would anyone like me?"

"What was that?" Levy asked as she leaned closer.

Lucy looked up at her. "Do you like anyone?"

"Oh…yeah." She smiled sadly and leaned back. "I don't think he feels the same though."

"How do you know?"

"Well," Levy stopped petting Plue. "He's always making fun of me for being small, and anytime I give him hints on how I feel, he completely ignores it."

"Who is he?" Lucy thought she knew, but she wanted to confirm it.

"Gajeel."

Yep, that's who she thought it was. "I don't know him very well, but I think Gajeel's more of a straightforward kind of guy…for the most part. Maybe you should just ask him directly; then you'll know either way."

Levy gave her a smile. "Yeah…you're probably right. Thanks, Lu."

Lucy blushed at the nickname. "N-No problem."

* * *

Lucy hopped down the wall to her sewer with a dejected sigh. She had wanted to use Gajeel's money to buy a blanket, but she had reluctantly used it for food instead. She supposed she should try to eat one meal a day, so it wasn't necessarily a bad use of the money. It was just that it was starting to get cold, and a blanket would have been really nice.

"I guess I should change, huh?" She had been wearing a school uniform for quite a few days, and she was getting pretty fucking tired of it.

After rummaging through her bags of clothes, she found a pair of black yoga pants, and a pink crop top. Sinking to the ground after changing, she piled a bunch of clothes around her to try and keep warm. "Wanna cuddle, Plue?" She giggled when he barked and burrowed under the clothes with her.

She couldn't sleep…she could barely ever sleep in this place. It was so uncomfortable, cold, and creepy, that she really hadn't been able to sleep much. Gajeel really helped the night before, but he wasn't there now, and it made it ten times lonelier. She frowned when she heard a light sprinkling of rain.

She tried to force her eyes to close, but the louder the rain got, the wider her eyes got. When she felt something cold swipe across her feet, she sat up with a shriek, startling Plue. "Oh no." Her lower lip trembled as the water got higher as it ran through the sewer, soaking her paints completely. "It's a drainage system for the rain. I'm so stupid." When Plue whined, she looked over at him to see him raising one paw out of the water as his ears and tail were lowered. "Oh god, Plue. I'm so sorry."

Burying her face in her hands, she let her tears fall freely. "I'm s-so sorry, Plue. I wish I could g-give you better." Her body started to shake from the cold, and she knew she would probably be sick in the morning. "I-I'm such a failure."

Plue whined and nudged her cheek with his nose, and her sad eyes lifted to look into his sad dog ones. "Y-you deserve b-better than me." He whined again and pushed himself into her arms. She gripped his fur tightly in her hands, and she buried her face in his wet fur; crying with the rain.

A loud splash caused her head to jerk up, and sad eyes widened when she saw Gajeel's red ones. "G-Gaj?"

"Shit, Bunny." He muttered as he crouched down next to her. "Yer gonna get fuckin' sick."

She couldn't help it; her lower lip trembled as she looked into his eyes, and before she knew it, her tears intensified as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Oi! It's just a little rain, Bunny-girl. Nothin' to cry over." He put his hand on her head as she just continued to cry on his shoulder, and he looked down at a soaked Plue. "Alright, c'mon." He grabbed what he knew was her school backpack and slung it over his shoulder, before he lifted the crying girl into his arms. "I'm takin ya somewhere else fer the night."

* * *

 **I know, I know. It's been forever.**

 **I'm at a low point in my life, and I feel like I've lost my mojo or whatever. Butt it's slowly getting better.**

 **Anyways. Thanks so much for being patient and supporting me. I dont have my cat anymore, so sadly no more licks. But, I still love you guys.**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Gajeel grunted softly as he laid a slumbering Lucy down on a stuffy, old mattress. He pulled an old blanket over her before he stood up. He sighed as he watched her sleep peacefully, a pink hue to her cheeks that he knew meant she caught a cold. His eyes drifted to her dog as he plopped down right next to his owner.

"What the fuck am I gonna do?" He mumbled quietly to himself before he uncrossed his arms and walked to the door of the car garage. He had taken her to his family's work place, since they lived in the back of the garage. He had pulled out an old mattress that they had been using to block the windows. His dad shouldn't be back home until tomorrow, so hopefully they would be on their way to school by then. That way, he would have time to figure out what to tell his dad.

He ran his fingers down the bridge of his nose before he made sure the garage door was locked, then he made his way inside to go to sleep.

* * *

Lucy's had throbbed as she regained consciousness. She really didn't wanna wake up.

*Click*

Her eyes snapped open at the sound, and her heart practically stopped when the barrel of a revolver greeted her. A scream ripped out of her throat, and she scrambled backwards off the mattress, right into a metal shelf. She put her hand on the top of her cheek that collided with the edge of the shelf, ignoring the way it stung, and looked at the man who was aiming the gun at her. He had deep, red eyes and unruly black hair. He was very muscular and tan, his features chiseled like a sculpture. If she wasn't so scared right then, she would think he was really hot…for an older guy.

"Who the hell are you, and why are you trespassing in my shop?" He deep, gruff voice demanded, and she flinched at the harshness of it.

She put her other hand on Plue when he started to growl low in his throat, and suddenly it clicked in her mind who the man was. "M-Mr. Gajeel?"

The man's head cocked to side, just as the door to the garage busted open. "Dad!" Gajeel shouted, clearly having just woken up since he only had sweat pants on. "Chill your shit!"

His dad didn't lower the gun as he watched Gajeel run over to the girl on the floor. "You okay, bunny?" He whispered as he gently removed her hand from her cheek. He grunted at the blood that started to trickle down her face, and he turned a hard glare to his dad. "For fuck's sake, you didn't have ta scare the living shit outta her!"

His dad warily lowered the gun and returned his son's glare. "Explain."

Gajeel sighed and grabbed a rag from the shelf, making sure it was clean before he pressed it against her cheek. "She needed a place ta sleep. She's a friend."

His dad let out a huff through his nose. "Get inside, girl."

Lucy blinked at him as he went inside the house, and she looked over at Gajeel. "Your dad is…"

"Scary?" He smirked, taking the rag off as she nodded. "Sorry 'bout that. He's really a big softie, ya just caught 'im off guard." He held his hand out for her, and pulled her up. "Trust me, he'll like ya."

"…Okay." She decided to trust him, seeing as it was his dad and all, and let Gajeel lead her into the house with Plue walking right beside her legs. The man frankly freaked her the hell out, but her head was throbbing and her cheek stung, and she just wanted some pain killers.

The inside of the house was small, very rustic, and had metal art all over the walls. The living room was the first room they stepped into, which consisted of an armchair and a coffee table…nothing else. The next room they stepped in was the kitchen, which had a table with four chairs, where Gajeel's dad had the first aid kit on the table.

He looked up from the table when they walk in, and motioned for them to sit down. When they did, he scooted Lucy's chair closer to him, smirking when she let out a small squeak, and started cleaning the gash on her cheek. "What's yer name, kid? Or should I call you bunny?"

She blushed in embarrassment, purposely avoiding his deep, red eyes. "Lucy." She mumbled. "What's yours?"

"Metalicana." He rumbled as he opened a butterfly bandage and placed it tightly over the gash.

"Can I just call you Mr. Gajeel?" She asked, not really wanting to have to call him that mouthful of a name.

The man chuckled and glanced at his son who had his head on his arms on the table. "Sure thing, kid. So, tell me. What shitty situation are you in that you had to sleep in my shitty garage? Hm?"

"U-um…" She stumbled, looking at Gajeel for help, but the guy only raised his eyebrows at her. She swallowed before she looked back into the man's eyes. "I was drinking, and I live pretty far away. Gajeel saw me walking home and let me crash here."

"Uh-huh." Metalicana raised an eyebrow. "Get into a bar fight?"

Her eyebrows pinched together. "What?"

He gestured to her face. "You got bruises for days. I know I sure as hell didn't cause those."

"O-Oh…Um, no. Those are from something else." She blushed and looked down at the floor.

Metalicana tried to look at his son for answers, but he was just staring at the wall, not making eye contact with anyone. "Go ahead and grab anything you want to eat, kid. Gajeel, I need your help in the garage."

Gajeel raised an eyebrow at his dad and reluctantly got up to follow him when he realized what the fuck he was doing. "Sit tight, bunny."

Once they were in the garage, Metalicana turned to face his son and crossed his arms. "Tell me the fuckin' truth right now."

Gajeel ran a hand down his face. "I promised her I wouldn't, dad. I ain't gonna break her trust."

Metalicana stared hard at his son, not used to him sticking by someone the way he was. "Just skirt around it then. Is she in trouble?"

Gajeel sighed, he figured he could play this game. "Yes."

The older man nodded. "Got someone close to her that's hurting her?"

Damn, his dad was smart as fuck. "Not anymore."

The man nodded again, his eyes drifting to the girl's backpack next to the mattress. "She livin' on the streets?"

Gajeel only sighed and gave his dad a pointed look.

"Got it, ya don't gotta say it." They both stared at each other, arms crossed, for a while, before the older man gestured around them. "We don't got room, son."

Gajeel growled. "All she needs is that fucking corner."

"And you expect her to put the mattress over the windows and back on the floor every damn day and night?" Metalicana huffed. "With her injuries, she couldn't lift a chair."

"Fuckin' leave it on the floor! Or I'll fuckin' do it!" Gajeel fumed. "There ain't no reason she should go back to the way she's livin' now! This goddamn, shitty corner, is a fuckin' hotel compared to that!"

"Alright!" The older man shouted. "Shit! Fine! But I'm gonna be layin' down a few rules for her."

"Yeah, yeah." Gajeel smirked. "Just, let me talk to her first."

Metalicana nodded. "Get on with it then."

"Impatient bastard." Gajeel grumbled as he turned to go back into the house.

"Ungrateful twat."

Gajeel just rolled his eyes at his old man's childish comeback, and made his way back to Lucy. When they got in the kitchen, they saw Lucy feeding Plue some packaged deli turkey. Gajeel raised an eyebrow. "Please tell me you ate first."

Lucy blushed and puffed out her cheeks. "He was hungrier than me."

"Bunny…" Gajeel growled, but he stopped himself. "Come on. I wanna talk to you."

Lucy looked at him curiously, but nodded and followed him out of the room anyway.

"I hope you saved some fer me, mutt." Metalicana mumbled as he sat down and stared at Plue, who just licked his lips and panted happily.

"Gajeel?" Lucy asked as they stopped by the door.

Gajeel sighed and turned to face her. "I kept yer promise, Bunny. I didn't tell my dad 'bout ya. But…He's an intuitive bastard and figured it out on his own." He scratched the back of his head when her eyes widened in fear. "He offered fer ya to stay here, on that mattress. He has a few conditions, but…Bunny, it'd be a roof over yer head."

Lucy shook her head. "G-Gajeel…I-I can't!"

"Why the hell not?" He growled, glaring at her.

She took a deep breath, trying to blink back the tears that wanted to fall. She shook her head again and stepped forward, plunking her forehead on Gajeel's chest. The man only blinked and looked down at the top of her head. "Y-You've already done s-so much for me. L-Like, more than anyone ever has. I-I don't like being indebted to anyone. I don't think I'll ever be able to repay you. I just d-don't know how to feel about this."

Gajeel sighed and wrapped his arms around her. "Bunny, yer sweet as hell, but fuckin' stupid." When he felt her stiffen, he put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her back to look at her. "You clearly don't understand how friends work. Why don't you chill the fuck out, and learn how friends help each other. Let me fuckin' help you, Bunny. Or do you not consider me a friend?"

She sniffled and shook her head. "You're my friend, Gajeel."

His lips twitched up at her words, and he ruffled her hair. "It's settled then. Yer stayin' here. I'll get yer stuff after school. Now, c'mon." He turned her around and pushed her towards the kitchen. "Let my dad lay down his ground rules."

Lucy sighed and put her fist in front of her chest in nervousness. Her heart swelled at the generous offer Gajeel and his dad presented her with, and she couldn't help the wave of happiness that washed over her at the thought of having a nice place to sleep.

When they walked into the kitchen, Lucy's heart beat picked up ten-fold, and locking eyes with Gajeel's father didn't help one bit.

"So, girl. Wanna stay here?" The older man got right to the point, plopping a slab of turkey into his mouth a second later.

Lucy swallowed and nodded. "I-If it wouldn't be too much trouble."

The older man smirked at her. "Rule number one, kid: No more lyin'."

Her face burned bright red in embarrassment, and it only got brighter when Gajeel whispered in her ear, "told ya he was intuitive as fuck."

"Rule number two." The older man continued. "If I see one more mark on your skin, I'm takin' ya to a doctor."

Her eyes widened in shock, and she mutely nodded.

"Rule number three: On the weekends, after school, ya help Gajeel or me out in the shop." He popped another bite of turkey into his mouth as he eyed her shocked expression. "Ya get good enough, ya might even land a job with me."

Her mouth opened and closed like a fish. She didn't know what to say, this man barely knew her and he was going to do all of this for her? Her tears burned anew as she looked into his intense eyes…but now, she couldn't help but see a strong gentleness within them.

"Last rule: Ya get back here by midnight every night. That's yer curfew. Got it?"

"I-I…" She stumbled forward, and before she could even think about what she was doing, she engulfed the man in a hug, ignored the searing pain that shot through her body at the action. "T-Thank you so much!" Her tears fell freely down her face, and they only fell harder when the man returned her hug. "I-I'll do anything you ask me to!"

The older man chuckled and glanced at his son, who was smiling. "Then no worries, kid. I know you'll be fine here." He patted her back and stood up, breaking the hug. "Now get goin'. Not bein' late fer school is another rule I forgot to mention."

"O-Okay." She smiled and wiped her tears. "C-Come on, Plue." The dog barked and wagged his tail happily as he followed his owner back out to the garage.

Gajeel sighed and looked at his father. "Thanks, old man. I really owe ya one."

The older man grunted and leaned his cheek on his fist. "I didn't get why ya cared fer her so much before…but I get it now. Whether or not ya owe me anythin', son…that girl deserves a roof over her cute fuckin' head."

Gajeel chuckled. "Damn straight, pops. Now gimme that fuckin' turkey. She still din't fuckin' eat."

* * *

 **Aww, big brother Gajeel is just the sweetest.**

 **I know I haven't put much NaLu interaction in this yet, but next chapter definitely will have alot.**

 **I got a dog! shes the best! and currently trying to get my attention. My life is finally picking up! I explained everything that was going on in my last story update, but now I think things are going much better, and I hope to keep the updates coming! Thanks so much for your support and patience! It helps me soo much, you have no idea!**

 **I love you guys! My dog licks you!**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Lucy almost choked when something cold and slimy was shoved forcefully into her mouth. She had almost made it to the school, she was that close, but she guessed the universe had decided she just shouldn't go on.

After stopping and deciding that was just a little ridiculous because what was shoved into her mouth tasted a lot like turkey, she started chewing and realized that it actually was turkey. She looked down beside her to see Plue eyeing something hungrily; which, after following his line of sight, turned out to be a box of deli sliced turkey, being held by Gajeel…oh.

His arms were crossed as he watched her slowly chew the turkey. She would admit that she chewed a little too slowly on purpose, because she knew when she finished he would more than likely have something to criticize her about. Well, more like show care for her well-being, but still, she already knew what he was mad about, but she didn't want him to keep feeding her, she wasn't his child or his responsibility.

His eyebrow rose as he waited. After watching the ball of turkey slide down her throat in severe slow-motion, she was finally done. "Let me ask you somethin'."

"…k." She mumbled reluctantly.

"Do ya wanna keep where yer livin' a secret?"

She paused, she really did want to keep it a secret, because unwanted questions would come from it. But, she also didn't want to insult Gajeel, or make him think she was ashamed of where he lived. "I just don't want anyone to ask questions….I don't want to be looked down on any more than I am."

His eyebrows scrunched at that. "Nobody looks down on ya, Bunny." He sighed and looked around at the people starting to crowd into the school. As he was thinking about how to explain this shit to her, his eyes caught sight of something and he grabbed her hand. "Come over here for a sec."

She looked at him in confusion but didn't say anything as he led her away from the crowd and around to the side of the school. When he stopped next to an oak tree, her eyes saddened when she saw a baby bird struggling to fly on the ground.

"It fell from its nest." She followed his finger to the nest where the other baby birds were, perched on a branch. When he looked back at her, he continued. "Do you wanna help it?"

"Yes." She whispered, the baby bird still struggling on the ground.

"Why?"

She looked up at him then. "Why not? It just need a little help, then it'll be back with its family."

"What do ya think would happen if ya just left it?"

The both looked back at the baby bird on the ground at his question. "I…I don't know. It could get eaten I suppose."

He smirked at that. "Do ya wanna see it keep strugglin' like that?"

She shook her head. "No, not at all."

"Why not?"

"Because! It doesn't deserve to struggle like that just because the mom built a nest too small!"

He grinned as she started getting frustrated. "Yer that little bird, bunny."

She just stared at him for a moment, she knew he was trying to make some kind of point, but she didn't think that was where he was going. She looked back at the baby bird, immediately seeing the resemblance.

"Yer strugglin' to fly, bunny. All because yer damn caretaker din't take care of ya." He blew a huff of air out of his nose just thinking about it, noticing some blue hair in the window, but when he turned to look it was gone, so he just ignored it. "So, what's so wrong with a little help? Ya just need a push to help ya fly. If people wanna be yer friend while givin' ya that push, then that just means yer a likeable person, bunny. It ain't charity and it ain't feelin' sorry fer ya. It's just helpin' out til ya can fly." He crouched down and scooped up the baby bird in his hand, making Lucy smile as he stretched up to put it back in the nest. "Ain't nothing wrong with it, bunny."

She sighed as she watched the other baby birds reunite with the lost one. "I guess you're right, Gaj."

"Of course I fucking am! Shit!"

Her eyes widened at that and she squeaked when he shoved the box of turkey in her hands.

"Now eat goddamnit, and don't give it to Plue!"

She nodded quickly and squeaked out an okay before he stormed off muttering about getting to class.

She waited until he was out of sight before she took a small piece and gave it to a very eager Plue, who wagged his tail and looked oh so happy. She smiled and put her finger up to her lips in a shushing motion. "He doesn't have to know, does he Plue?" She giggled when he barked happily and panted with his tongue lolling out. "Okay, I really do need to get to class, so be good okay?" She unclipped his leash after he barked in affirmation.

She stuffed the leash in her backpack after she watched Plue run into the trees, and made her way to the front of the school, ripping off pieces of turkey and popping them in her mouth as she walked, realizing that she was indeed beyond fucking famished and had no money left to buy food, so this turkey was life-saving to her.

* * *

All day through school, her mind had been consumed by Gajeel's words. In every class, she wasn't paying attention to the teacher's words, she was in her own mind, comparing the similarities between her and the struggling baby bird. It was like the day had gone by in such a daze, because she was just thinking, thinking, and thinking about her situation compared to others'. She didn't feel contempt toward her father, no, she didn't feel sorry for herself, and no, she didn't feel pity for herself either. But she did finally come to a conclusion in the last class for the day, that it wasn't her fault. How could it be her fault that her mother died? How could it be her fault that her dad was an angry drunk? How could it be her fault that her father had a gambling problem? Her answer was that it wasn't. It wasn't her fault at all, and maybe she deserved to enjoy having friends and not worrying about them feeling sorry for her or hiding who she is.

The last bell rang and she put away her books and zipped up her backpack. She looked around, not seeing Natsu like usual, and made her way out of the classroom, slinging her bag over her shoulder. She still didn't like people giving things to her all the time or paying for her food all the time, but she would pay them back, and she would get a job good enough to where they didn't have to give her things anymore.

She walked down the hall towards the entrance of the school with a little more confidence in her step that was never there before, and her head up, eyes looking straight ahead instead of down. Until that is, she heard a familiar voice shouting down the hall.

"Come with me if you want to live!"

She froze and turned around, watching with wide eyes as Natsu came running towards her, dodging around students. His excited face didn't match his choice of words in the slightest. So, she gulped as he came to a stop next to her, panting. She rasped, "…what?"

He chuckled and put one hand in hers, pulling her towards the entrance of the school. "I have something that I've gotta show ya. So, come with me if you want to enjoy life a little... that's what I meant to say."

A giggle escaped her. He really was a silly guy, and she liked the way that sounded. Living is another word for enjoying life, so... "It makes sense either way you say it."

He turned to her with a dust of pink across his cheeks. "Well, I'm glad you think so. That will make this a whole lot easier."

Her head tilted in confusion, but he just grinned again and dragged her through the school's doors and down the steps. She looked down at their joined hands as they kept walking, and her heart fluttered. She was so happy that he didn't let go; she just wanted to hold his hand all the time.

She looked at him in confusion when he stopped walking, wondering why he was just smirking at her. "What?"

He chuckled. "Don't'cha wanna grab Plue first?"

Her eyes widened. "Oh, of course! Plue!" She shook her head as she turned to go call Plue. She couldn't believe that she had forgotten him. What is that boy doing to her?

* * *

 **Ah! I'm back! for now anyways. I want to thank every one of you! I wasn't even gonna sit down and write today because I feel like I've gotten out of touch with it, but I started reading all of your lovely reviews again and it inspired me to try to write at least something. Next thing I know I wrote a whole chapter. So thank you! I love you all! Muah! and my dog licks you!**


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